U.S. Army Europe
March 17, 2015
Freedom Shock: Army Europe, ready at a moment’s notice
By Sgt. Daniel Cole, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs
Soldiers, assigned to the 1-214th Aviation Regiment, load a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, Dec. 8, 2015, as part of an emergency deployment readiness exercise.
WIESBADEN, Germany: Moving a Soldier from one location to another can be a relatively simple task, but when real-world events arise and an entire unit is called to action, not to mention hundreds of pieces of equipment, how does Army Europe stay ready?
“Freedom Shock” is Army Europe’s name for emergency deployment readiness exercises, or EDRE, the program that enables commanders to activate units at a moment’s notice and move Soldiers and equipment anywhere in the European operational field, often within hours.
A unit, from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, recently participated in an EDRE in October 2014. In less than two days, the paratroopers were packed up, had drawn weapons, secured chutes and were headed to Romania on an Air Force C-130 Hercules.
“We started with a warning order at [6 a.m.],” said Maj. Matthew Work, the brigade’s executive officer, referring to the surprise notification. “This is part of building the readiness culture we have in the 173rd [Airborne Brigade], and building upon what we’ve been asked to do for U.S. Army Europe in expanding our EDRE capability.”
In December 2014, the 1-214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, was also “shocked” into action.
The unit, alongside Soldiers and airmen from Sweden and Hungary, loaded equipment into a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane, including a handful of UH-60 Blackhawks.
Cargo was loaded at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, and was flown to a training site in Poland, more than 700 kilometers away.
The 2nd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, is deployed to Romania, initiated under the program. The unit is scheduled to participate in training alongside the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which is already training in the area.
Future scheduled exercises include a battery from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command deploying from its home station to a training area in Poland, and a tank company assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Grafenwoehr, to a training area near Berlin.
As Army Europe continues to participate in these exercises, the partnerships between ally and partner nations continue to grow stronger.
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About Us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51-country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships built during the more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events, held in more than 40 countries each year, lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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