The combined team of Soldiers and Army civilians from Army Field Support Battalion-Africa, Livorno, Italy; contractors from the Coleman Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite in Mannheim, Germany; and West Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment pose for a photo together May 2 at an Equipment Configuration and Hand-off Area in Libava, Czechia. The 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Battalion Africa is charged with issuing an entire APS-2 cavalry equipment set, over 400 tactical vehicles and major end items like M2 Bradley fighting vehicles and M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, to the Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 150th Cav. Regt. for DEFENDER 24.
DEFENDER is the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, and is a U.S. European Command scheduled, U.S. Army Europe and Africa conducted exercise that consists of Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response. DEFENDER 24 is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercise, and DoD’s Large Scale Global Exercise, taking place from 28 March to 31 May. DEFENDER 24 is the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe and includes more than 17,000 U.S. and 23,000 multinational service members from more than 20 Allied and partner nations, including Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
![AFSBn-Africa issues APS-2 cavalry set to WV National Guard]()
