Pegasus 21: Air Assault with the Wings of Destiny

Photo By Spc. Jabari Clyburn | KILKIS, Greece—Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, “Eagle Assault” and 596th Airmobile Battalion, Hellenic Army, celebrate the conclusion of Pegasus 21 here Jan. 20. The exercise spanned seven days and helped familiarize Greek Allies with the planning and conduct of U.S. air assault operations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jabari Clyburn)  

KILKIS, GREECE

01.22.2021

Story by Spc. Jabari Clyburn 

319th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KILKIS, Greece—Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, “Eagle Assault,” and Hellenic Army's 596th Airmobile Battalion, conducted air movement and air assault training as part of Pegasus 21, Jan.15-20.

‘Pegasus 21’ focused on interoperability with our Greek allies through planning and conduct of U.S. air assault operations.

“Planning for Pegasus began in October of 2020,” said Capt. Zachary Blevins, operations officer, Task Force Eagle Assault, 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment. “This operation is an integral part to Atlantic Resolve in order to reassure NATO allies and partners of our enduring commitment to Europe.”

The exercise began with an air assault training mission which included three U.S. UH-60 Black Hawks, two U.S. HH-60 Black Hawks, Greek UH-1 Hueys and GreekAH-64D Apaches.

“Greek and U.S. forces worked together to create a complex scenario and enhance the overall interoperability of Greek and U.S. forces.” Blevins said.

Conducting realistic exercises across Europe is a priority for Atlantic Resolve units. Pegasus explored many different aspects of air support, including medical evacuation operations.

“No one ever expects their soldiers to be injured, so it’s imperative that when it does happen, we are familiar with contingencies and proficiently trained in our medical evacuation drills,” said Capt. Amy Severs, forward support platoon leader, Charlie Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment.

After the scenario, the Hellenic and U.S. crews took part in familiarization flights around the city of Kilkis.

“Familiarization flights are opportunities for the ground force to become comfortable with our standard operating procedures,” said Blevins.
One thing both forces were already familiar with is the impact of COVID-19 around the globe. The U.S. and its European allies have been deliberate in their efforts to create safe environments in order to continue collective training.

“Task Force Eagle Assault took every precaution that it could to mitigate the COVID-19 risk,” Blevins said. “Throughout our stay here, we have been following a strict mask wearing policy, host nation Greece has supplied us with hand sanitizer for every soldier, and we have maintained social distancing.”

According to Capt. Amy Severs, each soldier had to present a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours before departure to Greece. Such measures to execute Pegasus 21 illustrates the United States’ unwavering commitment to its NATO allies and its ability to respond to threats in the Black Sea Region.

Greek leadership shared Severs’ sentiments regarding the effectiveness of this week’s mission.

“I would like to express my appreciation to all participants for their outstanding performance, their passion and effort that was shown during the training event,” said Lt. Col. Nicolas Charalampopoulos, battalion commander, Hellenic Army 596th Airmobile Infantry Battalion. “Despite the bad weather conditions and restrictions due to COVID-19, we managed to overcome all problems. At the end of the week, all the training objectives were achieved and both sides gained as much as they could. I’d also like to reiterate the historical ties between the two nations. Through this exercise we managed to show that the alliance is still alive.”

• Date Taken: 01.22.2021
• Date Posted: 01.23.2021 05:52
• Story ID: 387462
• Location: KILKIS, GR