Fort Campbell soldiers from 2nd Brigade deploy for 'incredibly important mission' in Europe

Craig Shoup, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
·2 min read
27

Fort Campbell soldiers from the installation's 2nd Brigade were scheduled to deploy for Europe Monday amid rising tensions in Ukraine.

According to a release from Fort Campbell public information office, elements from the 2nd Brigade combat team, 101st headquarters and headquarters battalion airborne division have been assigned for deployment in support of NATO allies in the region.

The deployment is expected to last nine months.

The installation announced in May that the 2nd Brigade would deploy as early as this summer as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued.

“We’re going to check the Russian influence, and we’re going to impact the Russians’ decision-making for probably the next 10-20 years,” said Col. John Lubas, deputy commanding officer for operations, 101st airborne division, in a pre-deployment briefing. “We’re going to do this with all our partners in NATO, the European Union and the West, and this is an incredibly important mission.”

A soldier salutes during the 2022 Week of the Eagles Division review at Fort Campbell.
A soldier salutes during the 2022 Week of the Eagles Division review at Fort Campbell.

It is the first deployment for the 2nd Brigade to Europe in nearly 80 years, the release said.

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The soldiers will contribute to the mission by conducting training exercises across Europe, Lubas said.

“The first couple of weeks are going to be really aggressive as you figure out what’s going on, what your

mission’s going to be and where you’re going to get settled in,” Command Sgt. Maj. Veronica Knapp, division senior enlisted adviser, said in a release. “But make no mistake, Russia and our NATO allies are watching us. They’ll be looking at our level of motivation, our level of discipline, how we look and how we sound as we get off that plane.”

Marching out of a cloud of smoke at the air assault demonstration.
Marching out of a cloud of smoke at the air assault demonstration.

Many of the soldiers assigned to the European mission have previous experience with multi-national training exercises, including Sergeant James Benzinger, 1st squadron of the 75th Cavalry Regiment.

“I’ve deployed to Asia with the 25th Infantry Division, and working with NATO partners has a similar feel,” Benzinger said in the release. “I’ve never interacted with our NATO allies before but from working with our Asian partners, it’s exciting because other countries have a different way of looking at tactics. I appreciate being able to see their side of things and share ideas.”

Major General JP McGee, commanding general of the 101sst Airborne Division, said the division has been at the ready for several months after participating in training exercises this spring.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.

Mg J P Mcgee Commanding Gerneral 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell.
Mg J P Mcgee Commanding Gerneral 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Fort Campbell soldiers to deploy to Europe as tensions rise in Ukraine