Army 3rd Infantry Division to Europe for NATO Operation

Some 4500 U.S. Army Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division are headed for Europe,or have alredy arrived there,to bolster NATO's Eastern Flank.Members of the 3rd Infantry Division's Headquarters began departing from Hunter Army Airfield,Georgia on 5 September 2023.On 9 September,a change of command ceremony was held as the Army's 4th Infantry Division transferred authority for Poland-Baltic States protection to 3rd Infantry Division,Task Force Marne-referring to the unit's history in the World War I Battle of the Marne.Task Force Marne will serve in support of Operation Assure,Deter and Reinforce,working alongside NATO Allies and regional security Partners to provide combat-credible Forces to U.S. Army V Corps,America's forward deployed corps in Europe,the Army said.Thus Task Force Marne assumes control of infantry,armored,aviation,and logisitics units across Poland and the Baltic Sea Region.Said 3rd Infantry Division commander,Major General Christopher Norrie:Once again,we have the privilege of standing together with our Polish Allies,the Baltic States,and the rest of NATO.We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder against tyranny and oppression,and we pray that this Alliance will continue to be a beacon of hope for all who aspire for freedom and justice around the world.Added Lt.Gen.John Kolasheski,commanding general of V Corps:Your presence here on the Eastern Flank of NATO is essential to gauranteeing a free and open Europe.We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Allies from across the Alliance during this deployment,which is critical.And should deterrence fail,we will be prepared to defend every inch of sovereign NATO territory.*The Army explained that the Marne Division is the hammer of the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps,able to raidly deploy,fight,and win against near-peer competitors in large-scale combat operations.The 3rd Infantry Division is the most modernised and lethal formation in the U.S. Army and is fully trained and ready for this important mission.About 4500 Soldiers from 3rd Infantry Division HQ,3rd Infantry Division Artillery Brigade,3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade and 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team are deploying to various locations across Europe to support NATO Allies;deter further aggression against NATO member states;and train with host-nation Forces to build readiness and interoperability.They join about 2,000 Soldiers from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade who deployed to Europe earlier this year,as well as other U.S. Army units currently serving in Europe from Task Force Marne.To prepare for this mission,3rd Infantry Division conducted multiple complex exercises,modernisation,and a culminating training event at Fort Irwin,California.* Should deterrence fail,US Army troops in Poland would be tasked with keeping the Suwalki Gap open,retired Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian,a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,told the Task and Purpose newsletter.The Suwalki Gap is a stretch of rural land on the Poland-Lithuania border that is of great strategic significance.It is the only land crossing from Poland to the Baltic States of Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia.The 3rd Infantry Division troops are joining the approximately 85,000 U.S. Forces already in Europe.The deploying Soldiers represent the U.S. commitment to uphold the principles of democracy,territorial integrity,sovereignty,and respect for the international rules-based order.