180603-N-WE887-095 ADAZI, Latvia (June 3, 2018) Marines

180603-N-WE887-095 ADAZI, Latvia (June 3, 2018)
Marines assigned to 4th Tank Battalion, Yakima Washington, stand by their M1A1 in preparation for the opening ceremony of Operation Saber Strike 2018. Saber Strike 18 is the eighth iteration of the long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise designed to enhance interoperability among allies and regional partners. This year's exercise, scheduled to take place from June 3-15, will focus on improving land and air operational capabilities with an additional key objective to train with NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroups. The eFP battlegroups located in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are part of NATO's overall deterrence and defense posture and are designed to demonstrate the Alliance's determination and ability to act as one in response to any aggression against its members. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gina K. Danals/Release)