Photo By Sgt. Austin Steinborn | U.S. Soldiers assigned to 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade...... read more read more
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TAPA, Estonia – U.S. Soldiers assigned to 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, participated in Exercise Hedgehog 25 (Siil 25), a multinational exercise led by the Estonian Defence Forces at various locations throughout Estonia May 5-23, 2025.
“Working with our Estonian allies during Exercise Hedgehog has been outstanding,” said U.S. Army Capt. Brian Looper, commander of Apache Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “We've had the chance to integrate closely at the tactical level, whether it's maneuvering side-by-side in complex terrain or incorporating Estonian drone teams directly into our operations.”
Exercise Hedgehog 25 is one of the largest military training events in the region, involving more than 16,000 participants—including Estonian conscripts, reservists, active-duty personnel, members of the Estonian Defence League, and allied troops from 11 NATO nations. The exercise aims to enhance Estonia’s defense capabilities and test rapid deployment of allied forces, with a primary focus on multinational interoperability.
During week one, as the designated opposition force (OPFOR), 5-7 CAV provided a complex, realistic element to challenge participating units across a variety of scenarios. This role placed the unit at the heart of the exercise, testing allied readiness, helping refine tactics and decision-making processes, and improving their own effectiveness as a fighting force.
“To simulate a real-world circumstance, we got to fight through towns, forests, farmland, and wooded areas that we normally wouldn't be able to back in the states,” said Spc. Sterling Maness, a M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver assigned to 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
As part of the training scenario, 5-7 CAV initiated simulated firefights using dismounted Soldiers as well as M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
“We were used to push the fight forward,” said Maness. “It’s a lot easier for us to cover open areas because we have a weapon system that can see and shoot very far.”
5-7 CAV’s participation provided allies with the opportunity to assess capabilities and improve battlefield decision-making.
“They did really well,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brody Gay, a platoon sergeant assigned to 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “Their conscripts were very dug in, they had deliberate fighting positions, and their indirect fires were very accurate.”
In the second week of the exercise, 5-7 CAV and the Estonian Defence Forces operated together near Tapa, Estonia, during the live-fire portion of training. In this phase, Estonian troops defending trench lines called in support from 5-7 CAV and their M2A4 Bradleys.
“Cooperation with allies is very good,“ said Estonian Maj. Toomas Rein, assigned to the Operations and Training Department of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters. “The U.S. Bradleys offered the unit commanders of both the 3rd Kuperjanov Battalion and Kalev Infantry Battalion experience for integrating them into their battle plans, so that they can together reach a conquering end in the battle.”
These events are designed to build lethality and reinforce interoperability through realistic, combined arms training under simulated combat conditions.
“It’s a rewarding feeling whenever they get to put the full thing together and watch their piece of equipment engage and destroy targets,” said Gay.
V Corps and its rotational forces, such as 5-7 CAV, remain at the forefront of driving readiness, refining interoperability, and building trust across NATO’s eastern flank.
“We became very proactive, and not reactive,” said Gay. “We're definitely more lethal than when we first got here.”
Exercise Hedgehog 25 is conducted under the umbrella of NATO’s Steadfast Defender 25, in which Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum leads operational and strategic-level deterrence and defense training. The exercise also supports preparations for the Estonian Division’s participation in Multinational Corps Northeast’s regional planning event, Exercise Griffin Lightning 25.
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.27.2025 02:38 |
| Story ID: | 498892 |
| Location: | TAPA, EE |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 5-7 CAV Strengthens NATO Ties in Estonia (Hedgehog 25), by SGT Austin Steinborn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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