OPERATION​ ​ATLANTIC​ ​RESOLVE​ ​(LIVESAY/MARTELLI)​ ​--​ ​PBS​ ​NHWE​ ​SUN​ ​JAN​ ​22,​ ​2017 

CREDITS 

PRODUCER:​​ ​CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY/JOAN​ ​MARTELLI 

ASSOCIATE​ ​PRODUCER:​​ ​TOM​ ​RITZENTHALER 

VIDEOGRAPHER:​ ​​JOAN​ ​MARTELLI/BOAS​ ​SCHWARZ 

EDITOR:​​ ​JOAN​ ​MARTELLI/MICHIEL​ ​PILGRAM 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​​ ​In​ ​the​ ​port​ ​city​ ​of​ ​Bremerhaven​ ​on​ ​Germany’s​ ​North​ ​Sea​ ​coast....  

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Approximately​ ​4-thousand​ ​American​ ​troops​ ​and​ ​25-hundred​ ​vehicles​ ​began 

arriving​ ​in​ ​early​ ​January.​ ​Known​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Iron​ ​Brigade,​ ​they’re​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Army’s​ ​3rd​ ​Armored 

Brigade​ ​Combat​ ​Team​ ​of​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​Infantry​ ​Division,​ ​based​ ​in​ ​Fort​ ​Carson,​ ​Colorado.  

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​largest​ ​deployment​ ​of​ ​U-S​ ​forces​ ​in​ ​Europe​ ​since​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the 

Cold​ ​War​ ​25​ ​years​ ​ago.​ ​It’s​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​European​ ​Reassurance​ ​Initiative​ ​and​ ​Operation​ ​Atlantic 

Resolve​ ​--​ ​a​ ​three-and-a-half​ ​billion​ ​dollar​ ​effort​ ​paid​ ​for​ ​by​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​to​ ​reinforce​ ​NATO. 

MAJ.​ ​GEN.​ ​TIMOTHY​ ​MCGUIRE:​ ​​I​ ​am​ ​very​ ​proud​ ​that​ ​we’re​ ​a​ ​member​ ​of​ ​NATO. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​At​ ​the​ ​start​ ​of​ ​the​ ​deployment,​ ​Army​ ​Major​ ​General​ ​Tim​ ​McGuire​ ​joked​ ​by 

rushing​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​the​ ​deadline​ ​set​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Obama​ ​Administration,​ ​his​ ​units​ ​weren’t​ ​able​ ​to​ ​change 

their​ ​vehicle​ ​camouflage. 

MAJ.​ ​GEN.​ ​TIMOTHY​ ​MCGUIRE:​ ​​To​ ​get​ ​them​ ​here​ ​as​ ​scheduled​ ​in​ ​January,​ ​just​ ​do​ ​not​ ​have 

time​ ​to​ ​paint​ ​them​ ​green. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​But​ ​the​ ​Army​ ​is​ ​anxious​ ​to​ ​deliver​ ​a​ ​serious​ ​message:​ ​to​ ​demonstrate​ ​​to​ ​allies 

and​ ​adversaries​ ​alike​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​is​ ​determined​ ​to​ ​assist​ ​NATO​ ​in​ ​defending​ ​Eastern​ ​Europe​ ​from 

potential​ ​aggression​ ​from​ ​Russia. 

MAJ.​ ​GEN.​ ​TIMOTHY​ ​MCGUIRE:​ ​​The​ ​combat​ ​power​ ​here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​tangible​ ​sign​ ​of​ ​the​ ​continued 

commitment​ ​of​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​of​ ​America.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​one​ ​that​ ​enables​ ​us​ ​to​ ​work​ ​with​ ​our​ ​allies​ ​and 

send​ ​a​ ​message​ ​that​ ​we​ ​remain​ ​committed. 

BRIGADE​ ​COMMANDER​ ​COLONEL​ ​CHRISTOPHER​ ​NORRIE:​​ ​You’ve​ ​got​ ​tanks​ ​here… 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Brigade​ ​commander​ ​Colonel​ ​Christopher​ ​Norrie​ ​describes​ ​his​ ​unit​ ​as​ ​“lethal.”  

BRIGADE​ ​COMMANDER​ ​COLONEL​ ​CHRISTOPHER​ ​NORRIE:​​ ​So​ ​we’re​ ​an​ ​armored​ ​brigade 

combat​ ​team.​ ​So​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​that​ ​team​ ​we​ ​have​ ​tanks,​ ​Bradleys,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​indirect​ ​fire​ ​systems, 

Paladins,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​a​ ​whole​ ​range​ ​of​ ​vehicles​ ​that​ ​make​ ​up​ ​our​ ​team​ ​here. 

BRIGADE​ ​COMMANDER​ ​COLONEL​ ​CHRISTOPHER​ ​NORRIE:​​ ​You​ ​can​ ​see​ ​now,​ ​you’ve​ ​got 

one​ ​ship​ ​here,​ ​one​ ​ship​ ​there,​ ​both​ ​offloading​ ​all​ ​of​ ​our​ ​equipment​ ​in​ ​preparation​ ​for​ ​onward 

movement.  

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Norrie’s​ ​troops​ ​spent​ ​the​ ​past​ ​year​ ​training​ ​for​ ​this​ ​mission.  

BRIGADE​ ​COMMANDER​ ​COLONEL​ ​CHRISTOPHER​ ​NORRIE:​​ ​What’s​ ​up​ ​iron​ ​strong! 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Algenon​ ​Lewis​ ​and​ ​Thomas​ ​Rodriguez​ ​are​ ​Army​ ​mechanics.  

PVT​ ​THOMAS​ ​RODRIGUEZ,​ ​U.S.​ ​ARMY:​​ ​This​ ​is​ ​my​ ​first​ ​time​ ​in​ ​Europe,​ ​pretty​ ​excited​ ​to​ ​be 

here.​ ​Going​ ​to​ ​miss​ ​home,​ ​but​ ​it’s​ ​also​ ​nice​ ​to​ ​be​ ​here​ ​helping​ ​out​ ​our​ ​NATO​ ​allies. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​These​ ​soldiers​ ​concede​ ​outside​ ​of​ ​their​ ​families​ ​few​ ​folks​ ​back​ ​home​ ​may 

know​ ​about​ ​their​ ​assignment. 

PVT​ ​THOMAS​ ​RODRIGUEZ,​ ​U.S.​ ​ARMY:​ ​​Probably​ ​not.​ ​Probably​ ​not,​ ​honestly.​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​think 

they​ ​do. 

SGT.​ ​ALGENON​ ​LEWIS,​ ​U.S.​ ​ARMY:​​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​think​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​them​ ​know​ ​what​ ​NATO​ ​actually​ ​does. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Under​ ​NATO,​ ​the​ ​U.S.,​ ​Canada,​ ​and​ ​26​ ​other​ ​nations​ ​pledge​ ​to​ ​defend​ ​each 

other​ ​in​ ​case​ ​of​ ​attack.​ ​In​ ​2014,​ ​​Russia​ ​annexed​ ​Crimea​ ​from​ ​Ukraine,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​not​ ​a​ ​NATO 

member.​ ​But​ ​that​ ​sent​ ​jitters​ ​across​ ​Europe,​ ​especially​ ​in​ ​the​ ​five​ ​NATO​ ​countries​ ​bordering 

Russian​ ​territory,​ ​Poland,​ ​Finland,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​former​ ​Soviet​ ​Republics​ ​of​ ​Estonia,​ ​Latvia,​ ​and 

Lithuania.  

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​After​ ​international​ ​sanctions​ ​were​ ​imposed​ ​on​ ​Russia,​ ​then-President​ ​Obama 

pledged​ ​to​ ​beef​ ​up​ ​American​ ​military​ ​presence​ ​in​ ​Europe​ ​which​ ​had​ ​shrunk​ ​from​ ​its​ ​Cold​ ​War 

level,​ ​over​ ​300-thousand​ ​troops​ ​to​ ​120-thousand​ ​in​ ​2000​ ​and​ ​65-thousand​ ​in​ ​2015. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​Six​ ​days​ ​after​ ​arriving​ ​in​ ​Germany,​ ​Colonel​ ​Norrie’s​ ​military​ ​convoy​ ​reached 

the​ ​first​ ​of​ ​those​ ​nervous​ ​border​ ​states,​ ​Poland,​ ​where​ ​U-S​ ​troops​ ​will​ ​begin​ ​the​ ​first​ ​of​ ​their​ ​nine 

month​ ​rotations​ ​planned​ ​for​ ​the​ ​next​ ​seven​ ​years.​ ​​This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​first​ ​large-scale​ ​continuous​ ​presence 

of​ ​U.S.​ ​troops​ ​in​ ​Poland. 

CHRIS​ ​LIVESAY:​ ​​This​ ​army​ ​video​ ​shows​ ​the​ ​symbolic​ ​moment​ ​a​ ​Polish​ ​flag​ ​was​ ​added​ ​to​ ​the 

lead​ ​U.S.​ ​vehicle.​ ​Colonel​ ​Norrie​ ​was​ ​officially​ ​welcomed​ ​by​ ​Polish​ ​Major​ ​General​ ​Jaroslaw​ ​Mika.   

###