An Army brigade combat team will deploy to U.S. European Command over the summer, service officials announced on Wednesday.
The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division will replace the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division as part of a “regular rotation of forces” in support of NATO allies, according to the service. The unit will deploy “later this summer,” Lt. Col. Sarah Ray, a 10th Mountain Division spokesperson, told Military Times in an email.
“They will continue to assure our NATO partners and allies, deterring further Russian aggression and reinforcing the NATO flank in eastern Europe,” Ray added.
The unit is based out of Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced in a statement on Tuesday that some 1,600 soldiers arrived in Norway to begin a nearly 559-mile march to Finland. The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is currently taking part in a multinational training between the United States, NATO and new member Finland. The exercises will occur through May 31, involving more than 10,400 U.S. service members.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration announced an influx of troops to shore up NATO’s eastern flank — and spurred two Nordic neighbors to join the alliance. Sweden joined NATO in March. Meanwhile, Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, joined the alliance on April 4.
The unit will make history as the first light brigade combat team to deploy to a Nordic country, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
The Pentagon has deployed more than 20,000 additional forces to Europe, bringing the total number of American service members operating in Europe to more than 100,000.
Zamone “Z” Perez is a reporter at Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.
