Silver Lions push onward into Estonia

Photo By Corinna Baltos | TRZBIEN, Poland – M1A2 Abrams tanks belonging to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division have been loaded onto a flatcar railway Jan. 31, 2017. The vehicles will be shipped to Estonia to be used by the Soldiers as they conduct training in Eastern Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Rotating U.S.-based units through the European theater on a heel-to-toe rotation exercises our ability to assemble forces quickly, familiarizes Soldiers with their multinational counterparts while in a complex security environment and demonstrates deterrence. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Corinna Baltos)  

TRZBIEN, POLAND

01.31.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Corinna Baltos 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

TRZBIEN, Poland – In a little less than a day and a half the Soldiers of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division completed a logistical feat; they loaded a company’s worth of fighting vehicles onto rail cars in Poland to be shipped to Estonia.

The load-out was supposed to take two days.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said Capt. Edward Bachar, commander Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment. “Over the last day and a half, we have uploaded nearly 80 pieces of equipment on to rail cars and all of our primary combat platforms moved onto the cars by their own power.”

This feat was managed due to the diligence of the Soldiers in making sure their vehicles were in good working order when they arrived in Poland earlier this month.

“After the vehicles arrived in Poland we made sure they were fully operational,” said Bachar. Once the vehicles were operational, the Soldiers began firing their weapons systems to make sure that the crews and vehicles were ready to train.

Both the vehicles and the Soldiers are expected to arrive in Estonia Feb. 3. Once they arrive, they will immediately start training with their NATO partners.

“We are going to begin our expert marksmanship training the week of Feb. 6,” said Bachar.

The push into Estonia is one of several pushes over the next few weeks by 3rd Brigade, 4th Inf. Div. to move onward from Poland to seven other countries in central and Eastern Europe as part of a persistent U.S. armored presence in the region.

Over the next few weeks, other combined-arms units in the brigade will follow suit and begin moving into Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

The movement of Charlie Company to Estonia is a prime example of how the 3rd Brigade is exhibiting its ability to move freely from one NATO country to another, an effort made in part to show how the brigade could respond quickly if called to support an allied nation.

In November, 3rd Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., loaded around 2,800 pieces of equipment onto railcars in Colorado, and shipped them to Beaumont, Texas, where they were placed on cargo ships bound for the port of Bremerhaven, Germany. The ships – loaded with the ABCT’s full set of heavy equipment – arrived in early January in Germany, where they were loaded onto rail cars and shipped to Poland.

The movement of equipment and troops into and around Europe kicks off what will be a continuous rotation of armored brigades from the United States as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

The Silver Lion's move to Estonia will enhance deterrence capabilities in the region and improve the U.S. ability to respond to potential crisis and defend its allies and partners within the European community.

• Date Taken: 01.31.2017
• Date Posted: 01.31.2017 14:43
• Story ID: 221965
• Location: TRZBIEN, PL