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Parachute canopies filled the skies over Hohenfels, Germany for Saber Junction 2024, a US-led exercise that puts Allied paratroopers to the test. US soldiers from Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade jumped into the exercise to work alongside soldiers from 10 other NATO Allies and partners. As the US Army’s crisis response force in Europe, the 173rd “Sky Soldiers” need to be ready to move on short notice, and drills like these keep their readiness razor-sharp.

NATO Allies have been rolling out the big guns and practising air defence as part of Exercise Paladin Strike, allowing them to familiarise themselves with each other’s fighting tactics and capabilities. The exercise took place at Ādaži Military Base, the home of NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Latvia, which is holding various exercises ahead of Exercise Silver Arrow in September – their final test before the Battlegroup’s integration into the NATO Multinational Brigade.

The Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge is hosted by the Estonian Defence League. It puts reconnaissance teams from 10 NATO Allies through a series of strenuous challenges designed to test their scouting skills across a 130 kilometre march.