File:Know Your Defender Spc Luke Slater (8413816).jpg

English: Meet U.S. Army Spc. Luke Slater. He’s a 12C bridge crewmember from Fort Worth, Texas, and is a member of the 43d Multi-Role Bridge Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade stationed at Fort Cavasos, Texas. He has been in the U.S. Army two and a half years and is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“This job is a lot of fun. I just reenlisted for five more years to do this.”

This is Slater’s first time working in Poland during Defender Europe and Immediate Resolve.

“It’s pretty cool here. Reminds me of a lot of southern states. It’s really cool and beautiful.”

This is not the first time Slater has worked with the British bridging units.

“I’ve worked with the Brits. It’s good to see other MRBCs [bridging units] and how they work. There’s not many, and seeing how everyone works is cool.”

DEFENDER is a Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, and is a U.S. European Command scheduled, U.S. Army Europe and Africa conducted exercise that consists of Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response. DEFENDER 24 is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercise, and DoD’s Large Scale Global Exercise, taking place from 28 March to 31 May. DEFENDER 24 is the largest U.S. Army exercise in Europe and includes more than 17,000 U.S. and 23,000 multinational service members from more than 20 Allied and partner nations, including Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Command Sgt. Maj. Adam Stone)