Photo By Spc. Nathan Morse | U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major. Jose Padilla, sergeant major of the 5th Squadron, 7th...... read more read more
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CAMP REEDO, Estonia - U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Roland and Command. Sgt. Maj. Jose J. Padilla, the commander and senior enlisted advisor of 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, transferred authority from Task Force Warpaint to Task Force Saber, consisting of 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, as V Corps' rotational force in Estonia, Sept. 23, 2025.
Task Force War Paint was initially deployed to Europe in 2022, and since then, the Task Force has had a consistent presence in Estonia working with NATO allies to train and deter aggression in the region.
“The 7th Cavalry has a long lineage going back to the Civil War, Korean War, Vietnam, several rotations to Iraq, and no notice deployments, most recently in 2022,” said Padilla. “The goal was to come here and build readiness and work with our Estonian partners. I definitely think that’s something that we accomplished. It was a great partnership.”
During their rotation to Estonia, the Soldiers of 5-7 CAV pushed through demanding and rigorous training, often in adverse and cold conditions. They conducted numerous squad, platoon and company live-fire exercises as well as worked with Allied forces to accelerate U.S./NATO plans for convergence . Their training over the past 9mo ensured they are a more fit and ready formation, capable of quickly adapting to and meeting the challenges of any operational environment.
“The squadron conducted training that we wouldn’t have been able to do in home station, especially in a terrain that it’s not familiar to us,” said Padilla. “The winter is aggressive here, and since the majority of the formation haven’t experienced environments like this, we relied on our Estonian partners to help us learn how to fight in environments like this.”
5-7 CAV is one of the most advanced reconnaissance squadrons in the U.S. Army, and were the the first to be fielded the M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV). They also were the first unit to take these advanced BFV vehicles to the Joint Multinational Training Center (JMRC) to become better acquainted with the vehicles ahead of transporting them to Estonia.
From February 2025, the 5-7 CAV, alongside the 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, assisted the 2nd Brigade Estonian Defense Force in modernizing their Armored Personnel Carriers as well as other new technologies. Estonia received new High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in addition to receiving training by the U.S. military on how to operate such systems, which resulted in the Estonian Defense Force executing their own HIMARS live fire exercise for the first time.
“We completed our mission. 5-7 CAV executed platoon live fires, troop live fires, and a lot of individual training that we received in Camp Reedo and in the Central Training Area in Tapa,” said Padilla. “6-9 CAV will continue to build that relationship with the Estonian military, and continue to improve the training area here.”
Within the context of multinational readiness, having a well trained and able force in Estonia is paramount to deterring adversaries and providing stability in the region. The camaraderie and collaboration between U.S. and Estonian forces at Camp Reedo demonstrates this mutual relationship and the unity of their mission.
“This is our first time in Estonia for just about everyone in the squadron,” said Padilla. “It’s a great place to train and a great place to visit. I’m glad that our soldiers had the opportunity, not only to come here to train and build readiness, but to actually enjoy the country here and experience something new.”
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 07:50 |
| Story ID: | 549290 |
| Location: | CAMP REEDO, VõRUMAA, EE |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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