Category: Security

Source: United States Army

Bemowo Piskie, Poland — On May 7, 2026, at Bemowo Piskie Training Area in Poland, three Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2CR) tested a Group 3 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a vendor during the Saber Strike combined arms live-fire exercise (CALFEX) to explore a potential partnership.

A Group 3 UAS weighs greater than 55 pounds and can fly longer distances than smaller sized systems.

“This Saber Strike CALFEX is showing that right now our platoons have a Group 3 asset, where they’re able to communicate with the intel cell and the fire cell,” said 1st Lt. Ethan Moore, UAS platoon leader, 409th Military Intelligence Company, 2CR. “Our drone can cue on the fire’s assets and call for fire on enemy positions at a greater distance than we’ve had before.”

At the CALFEX, Moore was joined by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dalton Kastner, the standardization officer, and Spc. Mason Tomplait, the drone operator. The trio met with the Group 3 UAS vendor to evaluate its technology.

There are many advantages to utilizing a Group 3 UAS, which is considered medium-sized among drone capabilities

“Our short-range reconnaissance drones only go from five to seven kilometers; a medium-range reconnaissance might go 30 or more,” said Moore.

The RQ 7B Shadow is what Kastner knows to be the U.S. Army’s medium-sized drone for roughly 20 years.

Comparing this updated medium-sized drone to the Shadow, Kastner said, “This system has extremely similar capabilities, with a much smaller footprint and a much smaller weight, and for me, that’s a positive. This system also has the vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL kit, so it’s able to just take off straight up and then transition into forward movement.”

After the drone flew out, mission sets were sent to Moore, who coordinated with Tomplait in control of the gimbal camera on the system.

In real time, they could fly to specific areas of the training area and confirm friendly forces, possible enemy camps and target accuracy – all part of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Today, ISR relies more on machine-driven intelligence rather than the previously human-centered model.

“They’re able to get that long range, very good camera view to see the targets on the ground, to provide accurate targeting grids for us to push fires and to get faster reports,” explained Kastner, “to make those jumps even quicker with accurate and rapid intelligence.”

The combat-support training exercise lasted around 41 hours.

“They’ll be able to use infrared capabilities, and we’ll be able to do everything at night as well,” said Kastner.

With eight years of experience with drones, Kastner feels that the drone was easy to put together and use.

“They even have the controller for manipulating the camera and some of the programmable features in the camera as well, so it’s very user friendly,” said Kastner.

Moore, who’s also an intelligence officer, said the Army needs equipment like this in order for intel cells to find the enemy.

Moore added, “Not only is this craft able to fill a regimental gap in intelligence collection, but it’s also something that’s valid and capable in today’s conflict that we need to enable us for the intelligence collection and fires.”

Moore said when choosing a vendor, they must be able to modify and adapt as new technologies and capabilities emerge.

After departing Poland to evaluate other vendors’ drone systems, Moore and his team went to Project Flytrap in Lithuania — part of a series of exercises (including Sword 26, Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response) that turn experimentation into capability.

Project Flytrap is a counter-unmanned aerial system exercise designed to integrate emerging technologies and inform future Army requirements and doctrine.

The Army stays innovative by partnering with vendors and the UAS industry, alongside the real-world feedback from Soldiers.

Source: United States Army

BOLESLAWIEC, Poland — A routine maintenance mission near Bolesławiec quickly turned into an emergency response for Sgt. Nicolette Frankowski when she witnessed a traffic collision unfold directly in front of her vehicle, March 4.

Frankowski, who works operations for U.S. Army Garrison Poland’s Bolesławiec Garrison Support Element, was traveling with interpreter Kamil Stuczynski, when a passing car collided with another vehicle attempting to turn left along a busy two-lane roadway.

“We saw it happen in slow motion,” Frankowski said. “As soon as the collision happened, our focus immediately shifted to making sure everyone was safe.”

The crash sent one vehicle into a roadside ditch with airbags deployed and debris scattered across the street. Frankowski’s military police training kicked in and she immediately stopped to assist.

The pair moved the occupants away from traffic, assessed them for injuries, called police, and placed emergency warning triangles along the roadway to alert approaching vehicles around the curve.

“Everyone was in shock,” Frankowski said. “My biggest concern was calming everyone down and securing the scene.”

One of the drivers emerged from the damaged vehicle limping, prompting Frankowski to carefully assess him for injuries while reassuring him in Polish.

“I thought he was seriously hurt at first,” she said. “I kept asking if he was okay and encouraged him to sit down and stay calm.” The limp, thankfully, was later determined to be unrelated to the accident and connected to a previous surgery.

Stuczynski said Frankowski’s calm demeanor helped stabilize the situation until local police arrived.

“She stayed composed the entire time,” he said. “That helped everybody else stay calm too.”

For Frankowski, the interaction carried personal meaning beyond the immediate emergency.

Raised in Tampa, Florida, by parents who immigrated from Poland, Frankowski grew up in a Polish-speaking household where traditions, holidays and language remained central to family life. Speaking Polish at the scene helped her quickly connect with those involved in the accident.

“When people heard me speaking Polish, it immediately made things easier,” she said. “It helped build trust.”

Frankowski joined the Army Reserve nearly five years ago as a military police Soldier and first came to Poland in 2024 during a previous rotation with the 200th MP Command. After returning home, the 22-year-old raised her right hand and volunteered for another assignment, this time supporting USAG Poland.

“I loved being around the culture and the people,” she said. “After growing up in Florida, coming to Poland felt like a way to reconnect with part of who I am.”

Back home, she said, her Polish heritage was something primarily experienced within her family. Serving in Poland has allowed her to experience that connection more fully.

“At home it was always Polish traditions inside the house, but outside it was American life,” Frankowski said. “Being here has helped me learn more about my culture and feel connected to it in a different way.”

Frankowski received the Army Achievement Medal recognizing her actions following the crash. Despite the recognition, she said helping others felt instinctive.

“I would have stopped no matter where I was — Poland or America,” Frankowski said. “I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay.”

Source: United States Army

[Editor’s Note: The following story is a part of USAG Benelux’s “Honoring our Legacy” series in which we tell stories of America’s 250-year history, our Soldiers and our enduring legacy. To get involved in the USAG Benelux America 250 campaign, contact usarmy.benelux.id-europe.list.pao@army.mil.]

Chièvres Air Base, Belgium – More than 80 years after U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Billie Ramsey parachuted into occupied Belgium after his B-17F bomber, Skunkface, was shot down during World War II, his great-granddaughter, Bella Ramsey, returned to the same region to honor his legacy.

During her visit to Chièvres Air Base (CAB), Bella Ramsey toured the airfield and the headquarters of the 424th Air Base Squadron (424 ABS), where leaders unveiled a hand-drawn portrait of her great-grandfather created by Master Sgt. Anthony Colón Matos, 424 ABS support operations flight chief. The portrait now hangs inside the newly rededicated Ramsey Conference Room.

Ramsey also visited the squadron’s “Devil’s Den,” named in recognition of the squadron’s “Red Devils” heritage tied to the Belgian Air Force aerobatic team that was previously stationed at CAB. During the visit, she signed the wall on behalf of her family, received squadron patches and learned more about the installation’s history and connection to her great-grandfather’s story.

On Feb. 20, 1944, Ramsey’s aircraft was shot down over Belgium after sustaining heavy damage during combat operations. After bailing out over Lens, Belgium, which was then part of the base, he was captured by German forces and later spent more than a year as a prisoner of war before eventually escaping as Allied forces advanced across Europe.

For members of the 424th Air Base Squadron, Ramsey’s story represents more than a historical event, it’s an opportunity to honor a legacy.

“The Bill Ramsey Conference Room is more than a name on a wall,” Colón Matos said. “It is part of the collective memory of this unit, a reminder of resilience, courage, sacrifice and perseverance.”

Colón Matos explained that squadron members began researching the history of CAB and the 424 ABS in 2024 to strengthen awareness of the unit’s heritage and connection to the local community.

During that research, members rediscovered Ramsey’s story and realized there was little documented information explaining why the conference room had originally been named in his honor.

“We wanted to rebuild pride in our history,” Colón Matos said. “It is our way of reclaiming our Air Force heritage and connecting our current team with Sgt. Ramsey’s incredible story of resilience and survival.”

He also reflected on the significance of the Allied presence in Belgium during World War II and the enduring partnership between the United States and Belgium.

“For the people of Belgium, the sight of American parachutes descending from the sky represented something greater than war,” Colón Matos said. “It represented hope and the anticipation of liberation.”

For Bella Ramsey, the visit offered a personal perspective on a man many remember as part of history, but whom she simply knew as family.

“I didn’t know him as this man in history,” she said. “I knew him in a different way.”

Today, Billie Ramsey’s story continues to connect generations through a shared legacy of sacrifice, partnership and remembrance that still resonates at Chièvres Air Base more than eight decades later.

Source: United States Army

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Multinational forces assigned to Kosovo Force (KFOR) Regional Command-East, in coordination with Regional Command-West, conducted K-9 medical evacuation training across Kosovo, March 17, 2026, to establish procedures for transporting military working dogs to surgical care.

The training brought together U.S. Army Reserve veterinary personnel, Italian Army K-9 handlers at Camp Novo Selo in RC-E and a veterinarian from RC-W, along with U.S. aviation elements from the Tennessee Army National Guard’s Detachment 1, Company C, 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, to address gaps in how military working dogs are treated and evacuated.

“Working dogs and veterinarians for KFOR are spread out throughout the country with some dogs not being housed on the same base as the veterinarian,” said U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Christine Bui, a veterinarian assigned to the 7360th Veterinary Detachment under Task Force Medical.

Bui explained that the distance between veterinarians and working dogs can delay care, with response times ranging from one to two hours. She said the training was designed to improve coordination between veterinary teams, handlers, and aviation units during a K-9 medical evacuation.

Camp Bondsteel is the only location in Kosovo with surgical veterinary capability, making coordination across locations critical when working dogs require advanced care.

Italian Army veterinarian Maj. Filippo Pinagli and K-9 handlers OR-4 Simone Trimarchi and OR-4 Giuseppe Dipietro trained alongside their working dogs, Neo and Erek.

“K9 Medevac training is essential for maintaining high standards of readiness and addressing potential operational scenarios that require the emergency evacuation of a canine patient following a veterinary incident,” said Pinagli. “Due to the vastness of the territory, terrain characteristics, and mobility requirements, the current operational scenario in Kosovo demands rapid intervention and decisive action to mitigate health risks.”

Pinagli explained that working dog teams support KFOR operations by conducting perimeter security, monitoring sensitive and culturally significant sites, and assisting with mobility support to ensure freedom of movement across Kosovo.

“It’s important for us to not only train the K-9 handlers and medics on how to provide point of injury and basic care to the dogs, but also prepare ourselves in case we ever need to MEDEVAC a K-9 for a more serious injury,” Bui said.

During the training, participants conducted a route familiarization exercise that brought together a veterinarian from Camp Villaggio Italia, RC-W, with K-9 handlers at Camp Novo Selo, RC-E, simulating the movement required to transport an injured working dog to Camp Bondsteel.

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Clara Maia, an animal care specialist with the 442nd Veterinary Detachment, Maryland, and Maj. Christine Bui, a veterinarian with the 7354th Veterinary Detachment, Colorado, are both assigned to the 7360th Veterinary Detachment under Task Force Medical for the deployment.

The training builds upon an existing agreement between U.S. and Italian forces that enables veterinary support across national lines and supports the development of a formal standard operating procedure currently under review.

Participants emphasized the need for flexible, adaptable procedures, as variations in aircraft configuration, dog temperament and mission requirements can impact how a K-9 evacuation is conducted. While working dogs are accustomed to aircraft environments, the training reinforced loading procedures and coordination between handlers and aircrew.

With a limited number of military working dogs in Kosovo and no veterinary facilities at some locations, the ability to rapidly coordinate and transport animals remains critical to sustaining operational capability.

This effort enhances interoperability among KFOR partners and supports the mission to maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people living in Kosovo.

Source: United States Army

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz honored the outstanding service of its volunteer workforce during the Volunteer of the Year recognition ceremony at Sembach Kaserne, May 8.

More than 100 guests attended the event to honor the 57 nominees. Col. Jeffery Higgins, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz commander, opened the ceremony.

“We are here to recognize the men and women who dedicate their most precious commodity, their time, to the betterment of our military community,” said Higgins. “You are the force multipliers that make our sprawling operations not just functional, but successful,” he added.

In 2025, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz volunteers contributed more than 40,000 hours valued at $1.4 million supporting programs including Army Community Service, Child and Youth Services, Cub Scouts, American Forces Network, KMC Onstage, Religious Services, Armstrong’s Club, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, Department of War Education Activity, Global Military Lactation Community and the United Service Organizations.

The winners in each category were:

Military Volunteer of the Year: Francisco La Porte

Single Soldier: Ija’Nai Moore

Family member: Bailee McCollum

Civilian: Toby Holland

Youth: Keandre Anderson

Nelly Olson, Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program Manager with USAG Rheinland-Pfalz’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, who also serves as the Army Volunteer Corps Coordinator for the garrison, said this annual event promotes a culture of giving back, while boosting volunteer and community morale.

“Recognizing our volunteers is our way to say thank you and honor the selfless impact they make within our community,” she said.

Interested volunteers can explore garrison volunteer opportunities by making an account in the Volunteer Management Information System at https://vmis.armyfamilywebportal.com/.

U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz sets, serves, and secures the total force community, enabling power projection for the European Theater.

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/usag_rp