Video

Video by Capt. Jennifer French

B-Roll: 173rd Airborne Brigade Leads Multinational Airborne Operation During Swift Response 2025 in Lithuania

173rd Airborne Brigade

May 16, 2025 | 1:46

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade exit a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules over Memel Drop Zone at Gaiziunai Training Area, Lithuania, during a joint forcible entry operation as part of Swift Response 2025, May 16, 2025.

The airborne operation integrated 1,650 paratroopers from five NATO nations—including Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands—demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to rapidly project combat power without notice.

As the U.S. Army’s only Airborne Brigade forward-stationed in Europe, the 173rd serves as the Contingency Response Force for U.S. European Command—able to deploy on short notice to deter aggression and defend NATO’s eastern flank. Swift Response, linked to Lithuania’s national exercise Iron Wolf, validated multinational warfighting readiness with combined air-land operations and medical support.

(U.S. Army video by Capt. Jennifer French)