43rd Multi-Role Bridge Company Wet Gap Crossing [Image 10 of 17]

Bridge crewmembers Sgt. Justin Whitaker with the 43rd Multi-Role Bridge Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, pilots his M30 bridge erection boat as part of recovery operations of the Wet Gap Crossing as part of Immediate Response 24, Drawsko Combat Training Center in Poland, May 15, 2024. DEFENDER is a 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 an 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. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Rigo Cisneros)