Exercise Rock Topside II

Credit: Sgt. John Yountz | Date Taken: 03/18/2021
U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade and French paratroopers assigned to Compagnie Portée, 8 Regimént Parachutiste D’Infanterie de Marine, 11 Brigade Parachutiste trained together during Exercise Rock Topside II. This exercise took place at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany from Mar. 03 - 18, 2020. An airborne assault kicked off 10 days of tough training in squad and platoon collective skills while keeping safe in a COVID-19 environment. This training was intended to and enhanced the combat readiness and interoperability of both the U.S. Army and NATO allies. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, Africa and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Yountz)