The Army will deploy units from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division to Europe later this fall, service officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
The deployments are one-for-one replacements of teams already stationed across the continent to enhance deterrence against Russian military aggression beyond Ukraine.
Around 200 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne, based out of Fort Liberty, North Carolina, will relieve personnel from Fort Drum, New York’s 10th Mountain Division. The 10th Mountain troops have cycled through postings across Eastern Europe this month and are currently preparing for joint exercises with the Romanian military.
Roughly 3,400 soldiers from the 101st Airborne’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will replace the division’s 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Brigade will fan out across Eastern Europe to “join various other units currently reinforcing NATO’s Eastern Flank,” according to a division press release. The first brigade is approaching the seventh month of a nine-month deployment to the region supporting an ongoing mission to bolster Europe’s defensive posture and deter potential adversaries, like Russia. The announcement marks the latest in a string of deployments to Eastern Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The mission to reinforce our NATO partners remains vital to maintaining security on the European continent,” Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia said. “I am confident the Rakkasans of 3rd Brigade will continue to represent our division with distinction alongside our European allies and partners.”
The Army’s third infantry division assumed command of the branch’s Poland task force earlier this month. Around 4,500 3rd division troops are slated to be deployed across the continent in support of European Assure.
Jaime Moore-Carrillo is an editorial fellow for Military Times and Defense News. A Boston native, Jaime graduated with degrees in international affairs, history, and Arabic from Georgetown University, where he served as a senior editor for the school's student-run paper, The Hoya.
