Civil Affairs Soldiers Support NATO Partners during Immediate Response 2023

TIRANA, ALBANIA - In a village deep within the Albanian mountains, Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania stood inside a medical facility responsible for serving the local area. The group's mission is to conduct key leader engagements will hospital staff to not only assess the facility's capabilities but sharpen each soldier's interpersonal skills. No matter the language, a mixture of empathy and genuine care can impact any battle space. After several meetings, the group accomplished its task of building new relationships and making new allies. Soldiers with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command participated in Immediate Response 23 in countries across Eastern Europe from May 22 - June 2. During the exercise, U.S. Army Reserve soldiers engaged and partnered with local communities to strengthen local governmental ties and improve interoperability amongst the militaries of allied nations. The purpose of Immediate Response 2023 was to conduct multi-national combined arms training in the Balkans, and to enhance U.S.-based combat power in Eastern Europe to increase the lethality of the NATO alliance, “Strengthening the partnerships between our Allied forces and the civilian Governments we work with is an invaluable force multiplier to our shared mission,” said U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Nathan Neuman, a Buffalo, N.Y. native and Civil Affairs Officer with the 353 CACOM. “The Civil Affairs troops who accomplish that mission are the best of the best. They are known for going above and beyond to get the job done, and I am so proud of the work they have done during Immediate Response.”