REZEKNE, Latvia – Paratroopers from Chosen Company,

REZEKNE, Latvia – Paratroopers from Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), stand in formation Sept. 25 during the closing ceremonies for Exercise Zobens. The 30-hour exercise featured units from Latvia and Lithuania, and was designed to test teste Latvia’s ability to marshal their capabilities and defend their position using a mixture of Land Forces, National Guard units and border patrol units, as well as work with their allied partners. The U.S. Paratroopers arrived in Latvia two-weeks ago to embark on a six-month rotation to train with their Latvian partners as part of Atlantic Resolve, a U.S. led effort being conducted in Eastern Europe to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region. The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct a full range of military operations across the United States European, Central and Africa Command areas of responsibility within 18 hours.