U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Kloepper (right), Commander

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Kloepper (right), Commander of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, explains Exercise Rock Sokol to Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges (center), Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and Col. Gregory K. Anderson (left), Commander of 173rd Airborne Brigade, as part of a visit to the brigade at Pocek Range in Postonja, Slovenia, March 16, 2016. Exercise Rock Sokol is a bilateral training exercise between the U.S. Army 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Slovenian Armed Forces, focused on small-unit tactics and building on previous lessons learned, forging the bonds and enhancing readiness between allied forces. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly-deploying forces to the U.S. Army Europe, Africa and Central Command areas of responsibility within 18 hours. The brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build stronger relationships and strengthen the alliance. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Paolo Bovo/Released)