From the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade & Spc. Thomas Scaggs:
10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (LI), hosted a deployment ceremony for its Soldiers and their Families at Fort Drum, NY, on February 15 in recognition of their forthcoming deployment to Europe.
The brigade will be supporting U.S. Army Europe’s Operation Atlantic Resolve, with units spread out across NATO countries, providing opportunities to train alongside allies, strengthen interoperability, and demonstrate America’s commitment to peace and stability in the region.
“There’s a level of experience of this brigade and what its done that causes our Army to call on it as the first rotational combat aviation brigade to Europe,” said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey L. Bannister, 10th Mountain Division (LI) commanding general. “This Atlantic Resolve mission will be different than the combat deployments the unit has grown accustomed. They’re already planning to participate in over 90 coalition-training events.”
This will be the first brigade-sized rotational aviation unit to support Operation Atlantic Resolve. 10th Combat Aviation Brigade’s Task Force Falcon will include approximately 400 Soldiers and 25 aircraft from 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Fort Bliss, TX.
The combination of forces brings total numbers of deployed to approximately 2000 personnel, 700 individual pieces of equipment, and 85 aircraft. The majority of helicopters and personnel will be stationed in Germany with a forward presence in Latvia, Romania, and Poland.
By early march, all Soldiers and equipment are slated to have officially arrived and training events are scheduled throughout Europe during the 9-month rotation. With terrain and weather that is in many ways similar to Fort Drum, NY, the vast amount of training the brigade has received at home is credited to the success they’ll find overseas.
“As we deploy all over Europe in the coming days, we’ll have a dynamic presence from the Baltics to the Black Sea,” said Col. Clair A. Gill, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade commander. “This is going to be a fantastic opportunity for this aviation brigade to show the difference making capability we bring to the Army team, but it’s also going to give us an opportunity to train to a high-level of readiness as we inevitably return to our next assigned mission.”