The U.S. Army’s DEFENDER 24 exercise occurred this year from March 28 to May 31. It 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. Fifteen National Guard units from 7 states participated in 2024.
The exercise is linked to NATO’s Steadfast Defender 24 exercise, DoD’s Large Scale Global Exercise, and is comprised of three sub-exercises: Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response.
DEFENDER 24 is focused on the strategic deployment of continental, U.S.-based forces, employment of U.S. Army prepositioned stocks, and interoperability with Allies and partners at exercise locations across 13 European countries. It seeks to deter adversaries, transform operational mission command, build readiness, and strengthen the NATO Alliance.