361st Civil Affairs Brigade supports Saber Strike 18

Story by Spc. Daisy Zimmer
221st Public Affairs Detachment
— Graphic by Thomas Hamilton III

The 361st Civil Affairs Brigade is supporting exercise Saber Strike 18 led by U.S. Army Europe at training areas in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, June 3 to 15.
The 361st CA BDE is providing civil affairs support, public affairs, personnel accountability and casualty liaison teams, and movement control to USAREUR units.
“As the only Army Reserve civil affairs unit stationed in Europe, we are the go-to unit to meet [USAREUR’s] requirements,” said Col. Bradley Heston, brigade commander of 361st CA BDE. “We must always be ready to perform the task when asked.”
361st CA BDE units supporting Saber Strike 18 include 221st Public Affairs Detachment and 406th Human Resources Company based in Kaiserslautern, 1172 Movement Control Detachment from Grafenwoehr, and C Company, 457th Civil Affairs Battalion from Wackernheim.
These training events will increase readiness by building teamwork within the total Army, including Active, National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve forces. The exercise will also provide a multi-national, integrated, productive environment where units can enhance their collective capability to respond as one fighting force.
Some units are providing support to key active duty units during the exercise. The C CO, 457th CA BN is providing civil affairs support to 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
“Civil affairs operations are crucial to building the relationships we have with our NATO allies and [Saber Strike 18] will increase our overall readiness,” said Heston.
Saber Strike is a long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise that helps facilitate cooperation amongst the U.S., Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and 19 other allied and partner nations.
361st CA BDE, located in Kaiserslautern, which is the U.S. Army Reserve’s only forward deployed multifunctional civil affairs unit in Europe providing civil affairs; movement control; human resource; chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological; public affairs and forward engineering support to U.S. Army Europe.