30th Medical Brigade makes history in Europe with U.S. Army Reserve during Defender 2024
Spc. Jason Ellison, surgical technologist, 810th Hospital Center, left, explains duties and responsibilities of his section's level of care within the operational surgery section, to Maj. Gen. Ronald Ragin, commanding general, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, right, within the field hospital May 17, 2024 on the Baumholder Airfield. This is the first time a 32-bed field hospital was issued, setup, and established for operations from an Army Prepositioned Stocks facility in Europe. Ragin emphasizes the importance of readiness and the Army's number one priority of warfighting. 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 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.