UKR 1YR: US – NATO Security –Estonia -- {USAGM}
Metadata
- UKR 1YR: US – NATO Security –Estonia -- {USAGM}
- February 20, 2023
- [[U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Estonia Thursday, where the United States and NATO allies have increased force numbers as part of a push to deepen defenses across NATO’s eastern flank. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb gained exclusive access to U.S. soldiers in Estonia, as she crisscrossed the country to learn more about its defense.]]
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script UKR 1YR: US – NATO Security –Estonia (TV) HEADLINE: VOA Exclusive: Alongside Closest US Soldiers to Russia’s Border TEASER: NATO Allies Join Forces in Estonia to Shore Up Eastern Flank Defenses PUBLISHED AT: 02/16/2022 at 725p BYLINE: Carla Babb CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Nursipalu Training Area and Tapa Army Base, Estonia VIDEOGRAPHER: Mary Cieslak VIDEO EDITOR: Mary Cieslak SCRIPT EDITORS: wpm, lw VIDEO SOURCE (S): PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 5:05 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen TYPE: VPKGN EDITOR NOTES:)) ((ANCHOR)) [[U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Estonia Thursday, where the United States and NATO allies have increased force numbers as part of a push to deepen defenses across NATO’s eastern flank. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb gained exclusive access to U.S. soldiers in Estonia, as she crisscrossed the country to learn more about its defense.]] ((NARRATOR)) They’re the closest U.S. soldiers to Russia’s border… ((NAT)) Training with live fires in NATO-ally Estonia on how to take turf from an enemy. ((Maj. Jayson Szorady, U.S. Army)) “The overall end state of this is the platoon seizing that key piece of terrain, which is that enemy trench line.” ((NAT Let’s go first squad, move!! Soldiers: Go, let’s go! 2:18 from live fire)) ((NARRATOR )) U.S. soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division eliminate simulated enemy scouts and defenses… ((NAT: FIRE IN THE HOLE (3 times) BOOOOM! )) …at a training site less than 50 km from Russia, ((NAT IMG: “Alpha Platoon Move Out!)) which invaded its non-NATO neighbor Ukraine one year ago. ((Reporter)) REPORTER: “And these are real case scenarios? You're seeing this play out on the battlefield in Ukraine? ((Maj. Jayson Szorady, US Army)) “Yeah, with any type of training exercise we want to provide the most realistic training environment for our soldiers to better prepare them and our leaders for any type of challenges that are in the future.” ((GO Pro 0:53 NAT OF GUNS, then 1:12 Go Pro “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Then NAT “Getting into the trench, over” 2:35 livefire patrol, shot soldiers getting into trench)) ((Carla Babb, VOA News)) ((livefire standup)) “OK so they’ve just reached the objective, but they’re still taking on enemy fire.” ((NARRATOR)) Team leader Liz Fursova trains the platoon’s weapons on the open field ahead. ((First Lt. Liz Fursova, U.S. Army)) “Because we were expecting some enemy reinforcements as well as a BMP2, which is an infantry fighting vehicle.” ((NARRATOR)) They take that out with an AT4, a weapon similar to the Javelin anti-tank missiles knocking out real armored vehicles in Ukraine. The enemy here is simulated, but the challenges are real as soldiers used to desert warfare for the last 20 years build a new type of readiness. ((Sgt. Jack Scott, US Army)) “A lot of the soldiers have not seen snow before in their entire lives, so being thrown into this environment can be challenging.” ((NARRATOR)) About 200 km northwest, American HIMARS multiple-rocket launchers with the First Infantry Division stand guard, sentinels shrouded by pines. ((Maj. Scott Clark, US Army)) “We can fire on the move and stay in hide positions and very well concealed and covered locations for long periods of time. // and once the fire mission is processed, in a matter of seconds, it’s able to deliver a rocket or a missile.” ((Carla Babb, VOA News)) “The HIMARS and their operators arrived in December as part of the US military’s enhanced presence in the Baltics. At the beginning of last year, there were about 600 US troops in the three Baltic nations. Now there are about 1500.” ((NARRATOR)) ((NAT: “So they’ve got a defense set up right here.”)) Col. Richard Ikena commands the First Infantry Division’s artillery forces. He says U.S. HIMARS operators have trained in Estonia before, but now it’s different, because they’re also part of Estonia’s collective defense for an extended period of time. ((Col. Richard “Ike” Ikena, US Army)) “We are in the scenario here. // It really brings real time what is going on here in order to operate and to be as ready as possible.” ((NARRATOR)) The HIMARS team provided long-range fire power for this month’s annual Winter Camp exercise, involving hundreds of troops. ((Carla Babb, VOA News)) ((Standup)) “This is how Estonia prepares for war. But because they’re a member of NATO they wouldn’t go it alone and NATO allies are fully integrated into the exercise.” ((NARRATOR)) Estonians defend trenches that French forces try to seize. British troops clear the way for Danish Leopard 2 tanks to punch through simulated defenses, tanks similar to the ones soon to be seen on the Ukrainian battlefield. NATO allies hope the Leopards, along with Britain’s Challenger 2 tanks, will give Ukrainians more power and protection than the Soviet-made tanks currently in the fight. ((Maj. Nick Bridges, UK Chief of Staff of Estonia’s Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup)) “The battles in the Ukraine will be slow and what you need is you need a heavy tank like Challenger that can take a hit, and more so than a T-72 which will probably be destroyed after one round. Challengers you can take multiple hits and stay in the fight.” ((NARRATOR)) But training Ukrainians to use these tanks effectively won’t happen overnight. ((Hanno, Pevkur, Estonian Defense Minister)) “Tanks are much awaited. We know that, and I really hope that we are just not too late for that. // Russia still has, even they have lost more than 2,000 tanks, they still have thousands of tanks in the stocks they can bring to Ukraine. They still have missiles, they still have rockets, which means that of course Ukraine needs as much help as we as we can give.” ((NARRATOR)) Estonia’s Defense Minister tells VOA his country has spent 1% of its GDP supporting Ukraine and nearly 3% of GDP on self-defense. ((Hanno Pevkur, Estonian Defense Minister)) “We have a clear understanding that every tank destroyed in Ukraine is one tank less behind our border.” ((Reporter Q to Estonian Def Min)) How worried are you that Russia could attack here? ((Hanno Pevkur, Estonian Defense Minister)) “Well, we have to be ready.” “Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, we are like the front door of NATO, and when the front door is locked, then it's safe to be inside of the house. So, it’s so simple as that.” ((NARRATOR)) A message NATO allies have taken to heart as increased defenses pour in. ((CARLA BABB VOA NEWS, Tapa, Estonia))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) Nursipalu Training Area and Tapa Army Base, Estonia
- Embargo Date February 19, 2023 20:00 EST
- Byline ((CARLA BABB VOA NEWS, Tapa, Estonia))
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English