SwiftResponse

SWIFT RESPONSE

Swift Response 25 demonstrates multinational power projection and the expansion of critical capabilities on the battlefield in the High North and Baltics through airborne jumps and integration of technology in support of the Army Modernization Strategy and DoD Arctic Strategy. Swift Response 25 involves five near-simultaneous airborne insertions, HIRAIN training, a field hospital exercise and live fires conducted with NATO networks in Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Finland from May 11 – 31, 2025.

Videos

Video by Sgt. Samuel Bonney

10th Mountain Division Leads Elite Forces across the Hale to Vail Traverse

27th Public Affairs Detachment

Feb. 20, 2025 | 2:03

Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division, Colorado National Guard, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and members of the National Ski Patrol take on the grueling Hale to Vail Traverse in Vail, Colorado, on Feb. 19, 2025. Originally, the Hale to Vail Traverse is a 26-mile cross-country ski trek that starts in Camp Hale, Colorado, and ends at Vail. However, to mitigate the risk of avalanches happening enroute, a different route was selected making it nine miles long with a 2,000-feet increase in elevation. This nine mile cross-country ski trek pays tribute to the division’s World War II legacy, when Soldiers trained in the rugged Rockies to prepare for alpine warfare. More than just a test of endurance, the event strengthens unit cohesion while honing the specialized tactics, techniques, and skills required to operate in extreme mountain conditions. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Samuel Bonney

Italy
Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will depart from Italy to conduct an airborne drop into Lithuania.
Finland
The Finnish Army will conduct a live fire exercise with the Polish Armed Forces and U.S. Forces will fire HIMARS also known as HIRAIN training.

Polish paratroopers will conduct an airborne jump into Finland, where they will join the Finnish Army to conduct force on force training.
Latvia

In Latvia, paratroopers from Spanish Airborne Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade will conduct an airborne jump into Latvia and a live-fire exercises will follow .

Also, the Latvian national exercise, Crystal Arrow, will be conducted simultaneously with Swift Response 25.
Lithuania

In Lithuania, there will be a Field hospital exercise and medical operations. A U.S.-based blood support detachment will deploy to Europe, where they will be issued Army Prepositioned Stock and join the 512th Field Hospital in Lithuania. The exercise will demonstrate theater medical support operations while working under chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear conditions. The field hospital exercise will also include a simulated blood draw and resupply to forward positioned medical teams using drones.

Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will conduct an airborne assault into Lithuania alongside NATO Allies from France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

The Lithuanian national exercise Iron Wolf will be linked with Swift Response 25 events with participants from the Netherlands, Lithuania and Germany.
Norway
As part of Swift Response 25, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy from the U.S. and conduct
a direct airborne jump into Norway in the first major event commencing DEFENDER 25. This event is one of five,
near-simultaneous airborne operations that will be taking place in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.

Also U.S. and Host Nation will conduct Live-fires in Norway.
Sweden

NATO Allies will conduct an airborne jump into Gotland Island, setting the stage for U.S. Marines to conduct a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Rapid Insertion (HIRAIN) training on the island.
United Kingdom
Troops moving from United Kingdom to Norway and Sweden.

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