NATO, Marines exercise response force aimed at Eastern European defense

Photo By Maj. Sarah Mobilio | First Sgt. Leon Banta, Weapons Company first sergeant with Black Sea Rotational Force, congratulates his Marines with the successful completion of Exercise Summer Shield at Adazi Military Base, March 31. The Marines, alongside service members from Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany and Canada, demonstrated the ability to employ a NATO response force in the Baltic region during the ten-day exercise.  

ADAZI, LATVIA

03.31.2015

Story by 1st Lt. Sarah Mobilio 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

ADAZI, Latvia - Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Canada, Germany and the United States employed a NATO response force in the Baltic region during an exercise mirroring the need to defend Eastern Europe, March 31.

"We were all able to work together, and we were all able to act together," Col. Mārtiņš Liberts, Latvian Land Forces commander, said about the Latvian-hosted exercise at Adazi Military Base. "Overall, it was very successful."

The exercise assured these NATO Allies are ready to respond collectively if called upon to repel an attack by hostile forces. First among the required capabilities demonstrated during this exercise was the Allies’ ability to fire on targets with multiple weapon systems as forces maneuver closer to the target.

"The ability to partner with the Latvians and service members from our NATO Allies, and bring them inside our command-and-control center truly made this a coalition exercise," U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Stevenson, Black Sea Rotational Force commanding officer said. "It is the future of how we will fight."

The Marines started out with a five-day military-to-military engagement with the Latvians to help mentor fire support planning and execution.

"The final exercise allowed us as a Marine unit, part of a greater coalition, to refine our skills and procedures in the [command operations center] and in fires de-confliction," Stevenson said. "We were also able to improve our small unit skills for both the heavy weapons, rockets, missiles and 81 mm mortars."

Black Sea Rotational Force brought the largest amount of Marines to the annual exercise since Summer Shield began in 2004.

• Date Taken: 03.31.2015
• Date Posted: 04.02.2015 14:27
• Story ID: 158967
• Location: ADAZI, LV
• Hometown: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US
• Hometown: ROCHESTER HILLS/DETROIT, MI, US