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Hello. I’m Airman First Class Zoe Wiggins and welcome to the AFN Europe Report.

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Combat ready. That title has not been given to any military unit by NATO since

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the Cold War, but with one action the title lives again.

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After more than nine months of evaluation by Allied Land Command, the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, or

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ARRC, has been declared ‘combat ready’ after passing their combat readiness evaluation during exercise

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Loyal Leda 2020 in the U.K. The receipt of NATO’s new ‘warfighting guidon’ certifies the ARRC as NATO’s

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war fighting corps headquarters, proves it operates to NATO standards and can work alongside other

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allied nations. According to the Allied LANDCOM command the exercise and certification also shows NATO’s multiple levels

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of commitment all while combating COVID-19.

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We have to demonstrate we can train and build readiness under COVID conditions.

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So what this demonstrates is NATO’s commitment to training, to interoperability,

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to developing readiness and our commitment to defending the EUR-Atlantic area and our commitment to peace.

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Each year U.S. soldiers across Europe compete for the coveted Expert Soldier’s Badge, or ESB. This year

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one soldier’s participation became historic when she crossed the finish line in Hohenfels, Germany.

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U.S. Army Captian Kelly Turner made history on November 20th when she became one of the first field

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artillery officers and first female field artillery soldier to earn the ESB. She was one of 55 Soldiers to

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participate in the competition. The competition is an opportunity for non-infantry soldiers to

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demonstrate proficiency in their warrior tasks and skills. Captain Turner says she thinks the ESB is going

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to make better Soldiers and put everybody back onto that Soldier playing field.

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That’s all for the AFN Europe Report. Thanks for watching.

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