RUKLA, Lithuania – Paratroopers with A Company, 2nd

RUKLA, Lithuania – Paratroopers with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, qualify on their M-4 Carbine Rifles Sept. 20 at the Rukla Training Area. The Paratroopers arrived in Lithuania last week to conduct training with their Lithuanian counterparts in support 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 Paratroopers are spending the week at the range zeroing and qualifying on their weapons before they begin conducting live-fire exercises. At the beginning of the week the Paratroopers shot their weapons “slick”, or without any extra gear on. As the week progresses, they will fire wearing their full combat load and zero and qualify using an Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG). Unit standards require each Paratrooper to hit a minimum of 30 out of 40 targets to qualify. 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.