Saber Strike 2014, distinguished visitor and media day announced

from USAFE-AFAFRICA
Public Affairs

6/10/2014 - ADAZI TRAINING AREA, Latvia -- On June 12, 2014 the distinguished visitors and media day for exercise Saber Strike 2014 will take place in Ādaži. It will be attended by Chief of Defense of Latvia, Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube, and other officials.

Media and distinguished visitors will be briefed about the exercise at 9:30 a.m. At 10:15 a.m. they will watch UAVs operating from a tactical runway and JTACs calling F-16 maneuvers. They will also meet soldiers from participating nations and see various equipment and vehicle displays.

The international military exercise Saber Strike 2014 will take place June 9-20 in multiple locations in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

This year, the exercise trains approximately 4,700 participants from 10 NATO and partner nations - Canada, Denmark, Estonia, the U.S., the U.K. , Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Finland. Several hundreds of the exercise training audience will train in Estonia, around 2 thousand in Latvia, and approximately 2.6 thousand in Lithuania.

Saber Strike 2014 will include a brigade-level command post exercise and a computer assisted exercise throughout the Baltic States, and a company-level tactical field exercise and a situational training exercise at Ādaži Training Area, Latvia and Gaižiūnų Training Range, Lithuania.

Saber Strike is an annual multinational exercise organized by the U.S. Army in Europe (USAREUR), and hosted by the three Baltic States. This will be the fourth time this exercise is conducted.

This year's exercise objectives facilitate cooperation amongst participating nations to improve joint operational capability in a range of missions as well as preparing the participating nations and units to support multinational contingency operations. The exercise trains participants on command and control as well as interoperability with regional partners.

Saber Strike 2014 also features the integrations of U.S. close air support with partner nation ground forces and a demonstration of U.S. air deployment of forces and equipment. The air assets of Saber Strike 2014 will also participate in exercise BALTOPS 2014, a U.S. Navy Europe-led exercise taking place in the Baltic region. All activities will feature joint, multinational training among the participating nations.

Exercise Baltic Host will be integrated in Saber Strike 2014. Baltic is Host is a command post exercise that is aimed at training the Baltic States defense sectors together with other state institutions in providing host nation support while receiving allied troops and humanitarian support.

Media organizations interested in covering the Saber Strike 2014 Distinguished Visitors and Media Day should contact Daina Ozolina, Latvian Military Public Affairs, at +371 67335224 or +371 26174707, or daina.ozolina@mod.gov.lv. If interested, media is invited to arrive at 7:15 a.m. to see paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade perform a jump nearby, though this is NOT in conjunction with Saber Strike 2014. Otherwise, the Distinguished Visitors and Media Day for Saber Strike 2014 will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. Please send Ms. Ozolina the following credentialing information by close of business on 11 June: name, surname, affiliation, email, and press card number (if applicable).

Media organizations interested in covering U.S. Air Force participation in Saber Strike 2014 should contact USAFE Public Affairs Office at +49 162-425-5428 or Kristal.gaul@us.af.mil.