DEFENDER-Europe 20 Plus: “apocalyptic riders” go back to Europe

DEFENDER-Europe 20 Plus: “apocalyptic riders” go back to Europe

by Edgars Palladis

May 13, 2020

Covid pandemic is one of the greatest challenges the world has faced since the Second World War and America has lost more people to Covid-19 than it has lost in all of its military conflicts since the beginning of the Vietnam war. In spite of these facts that the USA re-scope exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 and call it DEFENDER-Europe 20 PLUS.

According to the official statement on the  U.S. Army Europe webpage approximately 6,000 U.S. and Polish Soldiers will take part in the exercise.  Of those, approximately 4,000 U.S. Soldiers will come from the 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters (Forward); 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team and 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division; and approximately 2,000 Polish Soldiers will come from the 6th Polish Airborne Brigade; 9th Polish Armored Calvary Brigade; and 12th Polish Mechanized Brigade.

7th Army Training Command will provide exercise control of Allied Spirit and deploy Observer Coach Trainers from the Joint Multinational Readiness Center to DPTA to facilitate the training.

U.S. Army Europe is planning additional exercises over the next few months. These exercises will utilize many of the original DEFENDER-Europe 20 training objectives to enhance readiness and interoperability between U.S., allied, and partner militaries.

Plans to exercise with the equipment moved out of Army Prepositioned Stock in Europe are ongoing and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command will continue to maintain an Armored Brigade Combat Team equipment set at Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Germany, supported by the German Joint Support Enabling Service Command.

The U.S. Army Europe’s 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command and 41st Field Artillery Brigade are anticipated to participate in exercises in the Baltic Region.

Additionally, the 173rd Airborne Brigade is planning airborne operations in the Balkans and Black Sea Region.

Details of these training events are still under development and subject to change.

So the “apocalyptic riders” of modern days return to Europe to cause a second wave of pandemic. A hundred years old history of “Spanish flu” in Europe does not teach Europeans anything. After the terrible epidemic, American soldiers will pass this time through Europe with the coronavirus.