Defender 24: US Army sets sails for largest US exercise in Europe
US troops from the 1st Cavalry Division during Defender Europe 20 in Lithuania. (Photo: NATO)
The Defender 24 Exercise will happen from 4 April – 31 May and is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 exercise.
Defender 24 has kicked off with ships leaving the US for Europe carrying US Army equipment.
Accordingly, the extensive US exercise in Europe will involve more than 17,000 US Army members and 23,000 multi-national service members from more than 20 partner and allied states.
The annual Defender exercise, which involves the deployment of land forces from North America to the US European Command area (USEUCOM), serves as a framework for other exercises. Defender 24 has been divided into three sub-exercises: Saber Strike 24, Immediate Response 24, and Swift Response 24.
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NATO to conduct largest exercise since end of Cold War
NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 exercise, of which Defender 24 will b a part of, started in January and will last until the end of May. It is the largest NATO military exercise since the Cold War and aims to practice interoperability, seek deterrence, and build strength among allies and partners across European countries.
In total, the NATO exercise will include more than 90,000 troops from across NATO’s 32 members.
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