Photo By Pfc. James Dutkavich | Soldiers from NATO nations stand in formation for the closing ceremony of exercise...... read more read more
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(CAMP ADAZI, LATVIA) – Training is complete and it’s time to go home for most of the NATO Soldiers who participated in Exercise Silver Arrow. Staying in the Baltics are Paratroopers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, who participated in the closing ceremony events October 31, 2016 in Camp Adazi, Latvia.
Silver Arrow was a two-week long Latvian led exercise, which joined allied armed forces units, in order to develop relationships and leverage allied and partner nation capabilities preserving peace through strength. The exercise is part of Atlantic Resolve, a U.S. led effort being conducted in Eastern Europe to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region.
Latvian Colonel Ilmars Atis Lejiņs, commanding general for the Latvian Land Forces, delivered his speech to the service members of the 10 NATO nations that attended the closing events and who participated in the exercise. The participating nations included Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Albania, Luxembourg, Canada, Germany, Romania, Great Britain, and the United States.
“I understand that we have met our training objectives and have done more. We have conquered our ignorance, arrogance and we have learned from each other,” Lejiņs said. “We have rediscovered old tricks of the trade. We understand that it is important to dig in, to use camouflage and to use technology correctly.”
Silver Arrow was conducted in several locations throughout Latvia. The training consisted of airborne insertions, integrated force on force and combined training. During the exercise U.S. Soldiers and Marines also conducted community outreach projects.
During the closing ceremony Lejiņs handed out plaques to the unit commanders and individuals selected as ‘best soldier’ for each unit. Soldiers from each NATO nation lowered their flag to officially signal the end of the exercise. Lejiņs said that he hoped everyone took new ideas from the exercise back to their home stations.
“Next year, I would like to see you all here again,” he said.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct a full range of military operations across the United States European, Central and Africa Command areas of responsibility within 18 hours. Operation Atlantic Resolve is a U.S. led effort in Eastern Europe that demonstrates U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region.
| Date Taken: | 10.31.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 11.02.2016 04:59 |
| Story ID: | 213540 |
| Location: | ADAZI, LV |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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