Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | Lt. Col. Mike Kloepper, the new commander of the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd...... read more read more
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YAVORIV, Ukraine – Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, conducted a change of command ceremony here June 27, 2015, during Fearless Guardian.
Fearless Guardian is the name for the Congress-approved, Departments of State and Defense initiative to train the Ukraine national guard under the Global Security Contingency Fund-Ukraine. The U.S. military and the training they provide are at the request of the Ukrainian government.
Lt. Col. Mike Kloepper took command of the 2nd Bn. 503rd Inf. Regt., 173rd Abn. Bde, from Lt. Col. Robert Brown.
The battalion chose to conduct the ceremony here, with their Ukrainian partners. Soldiers with the Ukrainian national guard's 3005th and 3009th Regiments stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the paratroopers on the parade field during the ceremony.
“In the era of keeping the big wars small, this battalion has played an incredible role,” said Brown. “Accumulating countless stories in the process.”
In the two years under Brown’s command, the paratroopers of "The Rock" deployed across Europe and Africa. The paratroopers were part of the first series of deployments to Operation Atlantic Resolve in Poland and the Baltic States, and have deployed paratroopers to Turkey in support of NATO allies in Operation Active Fence. The battalion conducted training exercises with allies and partners in places as diverse as Cameroon and Hungary.
Kloepper takes command of the paratroopers during their visit to Ukraine for the second of several planned rotations to train Ukraine's newly-formed national guard as part of Fearless Guardian, which is scheduled to last six months. He is charged with safeguarding the partnership between the militaries of the United States and Ukraine by helping the Ukrainian national guard increase its defensive capabilities from internal and external threats.
“With our Ukrainian partners standing in formation we share a common understanding of war, the struggle and hardship,” said Kloepper. “We share a purpose, we share a mission. I am honored you chose to stand beside us today to recognize our battalion and honor the paratroopers standing beside you. We are honored to serve with you, united in purpose.”
With the change-of-command ceremony completed paratroopers took no time to get back to training with the guardsmen.
“Rock [2nd Bn, 503rd Inf. Regt.] paratroopers, we are uncomfortable on the parade field,” said Kloepper. “Because we are an operating battalion.”
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2015 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 168518 |
| Location: | YAVORIV, UA |
| Web Views: | 829 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘The Rock’ welcomes new commander in Ukraine, by SSG Alexander Skripnichuk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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