"Dragon", "Dynamic Front", "Allied Spirit" are only part of the exercises in which soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Army Infantry Division took part in the last months. On Saturday, the task force they formed ended the mission on the east flank and transferred the duties of the 1st Cavalry Division. The ceremony was held in Bolesławec.
Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division formed the Marne Task Force and were deployed in Western Poland garrisons last September. This is why they went on global exercises organized in different parts of Europe. They marked their presence during, among others, ‘Dragon ’24’, that is, the most crucial test of this year of the Polish army involving 10 NATO states. They besides took part in the Allied Spirit ’24 maneuvers at the camp in the German Hohenfels or the Dynamic Front ’24 exercises, which were held in training centers of respective countries – from Germany to Turkey. But that is not the end. The Americans trained to interact with allies besides during many insignificant trainings and staff exercises. They supported NATO combat groups, which are stationed in Poland and the Baltic States, their representation took part in various types of military and state ceremonies. “You have done all this by serving on the east flank of NATO and by remaining in constant readiness to deter anyone who would endanger our common security,” stressed General Chris Norrie, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division at the Saturday ceremony.
On that day in the centre of Bolesławca, his subordinates transferred duties to colleagues from the 1st Cavalry Division, or more specifically to the Pegasus Task Force. The cavalry commander, General Dyw. Kevin D. Admiral, thanked his predecessors. – I am convinced that working on the foundations you have laid here will bring us success. He will aid us compose another chapter of the past of our division and the past of the Alliance – he noted. In a akin speech he spoke at the ceremony Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, commander of the 5th US Army Corps. It is this tactical union that is overseeing and coordinating American land troops in Europe. You have a immense and very crucial task ahead of you. You will have quite a few work to do in a very short time – he said, addressing soldiers starting the mission. You should be ready to fight first. You must strengthen relations with another NATO troops, find fresh ways to train and build our position in Europe. Be an excellent partner for our Natian allies – said Gen. Costanza.
The past of the presence of American land troops in Poland dates back to 2017. It was then in respective centres of the western part of the country that the Armored Brigade Combat squad (ABCT) was deployed. It had 3.5 1000 soldiers, equipped with Abrams tanks, Bradley combat infantry wagons and Paladin self-propelled Haubice. The location of the ABCT close the alleged east flank of NATO (Zagań, Drawsko, Bolesławiec) was a reaction to Russia's increasingly aggressive policy, which in erstwhile years illegally annexed Crimea and started a war in the east of Ukraine. As the Russian threat of US Army troops grew, it was coming. Today, more than 10 1000 of them are stationed in Poland. Poznań houses the already mentioned V Corps command and a permanent U.S. Army garrison.
The 1st Cavalry Division, which includes duties on the east flank, is an individual with a long past and large experience. For decades, it has undergone many transformations. It was created in 1921. Its main strength was then the horse troops. During planet War II, it became an infantry unit, while in the 1960s it became an aeromobile unit. In 1975, helicopters gave way to tanks. The 1st Cavalry Division retained its name, but actually took the form of a dense armored-mechanized division.
In their rich history, soldiers of the alleged First squad fought on the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam or Iraq. There are presently 4.5 1000 of them in various parts of Europe.
