GALLERY: United States Army Combat Vehicles Arrive in Tapa
A train echelon with United States Army equipment arrived on Saturday night at the Estonian Defense Forces base in Tapa. The echelon brought armored fighting vehicles and personnel carriers for the 1st Cavalry Division, as well as necessary command and combat service support equipment.
The 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, will rotate in as the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team leaves Estonia. The 173rd has been based and training in in the country since April 2014.
The presence of US forces in Estonia serves to strengthen the deterrence factor in the Baltic region. The 1st Cavalry deployment is part of "Operation Atlantic Resolve," which will train for interoperability with NATO military units in the Baltic states and Poland.
The 8th Cavalry Regiment, of which the 1st Cavalry Division forms a part, served as an infantry unit during the World War II, partook in the operations in Korea and Vietnam and fought in the more recent conflicts in Bosnia and Iraq.