DEFENDER is the Army’s largest annual opportunity to exercise moving personnel and equipment into theater across modes for initial and follow-on operations critical to Large Scale Combat Operations. Led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the exercise focuses on the strategic deployment of CONUS-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stock and follow-on exercises demonstrating lethality and interoperability with Allies and partners

DEFENDER 25 Outreach tour
DEFENDER 25 Infographic

Videos
Video by Sgt. Anthony Ackah-Mensah
81st D-Day Anniversary: 11th Airborne Division Take Historic Walk of Amfreville
U.S. Special Operations Command Europe
June 11, 2025 | 1:40
Infantry Soldiers assigned to the 11th Airborne Division receive a tour of historic WWII sites that honor the heroic actions of the 507th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR), 82nd Airborne Division, for the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landing near Amfreville, France, June 3, 2025. Paratroopers from the 508th PIR fought to secure Amfreville after a scattered D-Day drop, helping hold the line against German forces near the Merderet River. U.S. military personnel will commemorate the 81st anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, widely known as D-Day. Participating service members from approximately 25 units will take part in more than 80 commemorative events from June 3 to June 8, in approximately 40 French communities throughout the Normandy region -- including a bilateral ceremony at Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, and a commemorative airborne operation on June 8. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Anthony Ackah-Mensah)
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enlightenedTo find information about filing a claim related to exercise DEFENDER activities, visit Claims Information and select your country.