Sgt. Jonathan Rivera, U.S. Army NATO, performs preventive maintenance on his M4A1 carbine following his unit’s Ready Steady week held Nov. 3-7 at Sembach Kaserne in Germany. Ready Steady Week, known as green week or ready week in some Army units, is a time set aside for Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army NATO Brigade units with duty at NATO units to focus on their U.S. Army requirements so that when they are at their home stations, they can focus on ensuring the success of their NATO chain of command. Rivera is assigned to the U.S. Army NATO G6 office with additional duty as the armorer for the brigade’s headquarters company.
U.S. Army NATO includes about 725 U.S. Soldiers assigned to NATO billets across 22 countries in Europe and at the NATO units in Norfolk, Va. U.S. Army NATO also includes another 75 U.S. Soldiers assigned to the Military Personnel Exchange Program and as students at schools of other nations. These 800 Soldiers are supported by a cadre of some 275 national support element Soldiers who conduct mission essential training to achieve and maintain rapid deployment readiness, improve interoperability with allies and partners and protect U.S. personnel and interests. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Albert Cartagena)
