Approximately 160 soldiers from the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood deployed on Monday to support European operations.
The soldiers deployed as part of the "7,000 U.S. military personnel earmarked to support the NATO Response Force announced February 24," according to III Corps and Fort Hood.
"These forces will augment U.S. forces in the European theater and are trained and equipped for various missions to reinforce the U.S. European Command posture on NATO’s eastern flank," said III Corps.
Deploying personnel that fall under the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood include the 96th Transportation Company, the 297th Inland Cargo Transfer Company; both are from the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command according to the release, as well as the 11th Corps Signal Brigade.
“Our Soldiers are trained and ready,” said Col. Matthew Ruedi, the 13th ESC deputy commanding officer. “Elements of our heavy transportation company have deployed to Europe to reassure NATO allies, deter Russian aggression, and are prepared to support a range of other operations in the region.”
Families of soldiers who deployed on Monday were kept in the loop during the process, Ruedi said.
“It's not just our Soldiers that we ensure are ready for this mission, but we do everything we can to make sure Families are ready, too,” Ruedi said. “Things can change rapidly in situations like this. Making sure we communicate with our families not only helps manage expectations, but it also contributes to our overall readiness.”
