Freedom Shock: Army Europe, ready at a moment's notice
WIESBADEN, Germany (March 17, 2015) -- Moving a Soldier from one location to another can be a relatively simple task, but when real-world events arise and an entire unit is called to action, not to mention hundreds of pieces of equipment, how does Army Europe stay ready?
"Freedom Shock" is Army Europe's name for emergency deployment readiness exercises, or EDRE, the program that enables commanders to activate units at a moment's notice and move Soldiers and equipment anywhere in the European operational field, often within hours.
A unit, from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, recently participated in an EDRE in October 2014. In less than two days, the paratroopers were packed up, had drawn weapons, secured chutes and were headed to Romania on an Air Force C-130 Hercules.
"We started with a warning order at (6 a.m.)," said Maj. Matthew Work, the brigade's executive officer, referring to the surprise notification. "This is part of building the readiness culture we have in the 173rd (Airborne Brigade), and building upon what we've been asked to do for U.S. Army Europe in expanding our EDRE capability."
http://www.army.mil/article/144685/