Enhancing U.S., NATO Synchronizing Warfighting Capability
by U.S. Army Maj. Brian Sutherland
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (7th MPAD)
November 2, 2025

V Corps is executing Avenger Triad 25, a command post exercise from both its headquarters in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and its forward deployed headquarters in Poznan, Poland.

Avenger Triad is an exercise led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa where organizations across the European theater test and enhance their ability to synchronize U.S. and NATO warfighting capability. The exercise also enables V Corps to increase its operational readiness with European Allies while also testing new military formations and communication systems.

“A major theme of this exercise is to build U.S. warfighting readiness through deliberate lethal and non-lethal targeting process in a multinational, multi capable, contested environment informed by large scale combat operations, to enable subordinate unit maneuvers.” said Col. Lyons, the V-Corps Deputy Chief of Staff.

This exercise employs the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL) concept, which uses a mix of traditional forces, air defense systems, and unmanned systems to deter adversaries in Europe.

Col. Haileyesus (Hailey) Bairu, the commander of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade is integrated into Avenger Triad to ensure that all air defense allocations and capabilities for the divisions and V Corps is synchronized. His brigade works to maintain command-and-control support relationships between the battalions and brigades, and to preserve rear area protection integration with ADA assets. These protection capabilities range from Avenger units in Germany to M-SHORAD companies in Poland.

“We are answering the mail for the division and corps’ commander when it comes to ADA assets by allowing them to focus on the fight by enabling freedom of maneuver on the battlefield” said Bairu.

Air and missile defense (AMD) forces in Avenger Triad support the maneuver plan to navigate joint and NATO defended asset working groups and develop protection prioritized lists (PPLs). Bairu and his team also works with the German and British ADA assets to integrate their warfighting capabilities to support V Corp’s efforts in the exercise.

In addition to the 52nd ADE BDE, twenty-five Soldiers from the 1-38th Operational Fires Command (OFC) from the Kentucky Army National Guard (KYARNG) are serving as the key fires cell to manage all of V Corps fire’s assets for Avenger Triad. Their role helps to strengthen the corps’ ability to leverage AMD and other fire enablers and position them in a way that maximizes their defense capability to support offensive operations.

“A sustained level of fire suppression across AO Victory enables freedom of maneuver (FOM) for V Corps assets across the battlefield, which helps to win the fight over time” said Col. Robert Andersen, the commander of the 138th OFC.

Early participation of different U.S. and NATO units in this exercise helps to shape the design development of V Corp’s warfighter exercise in March 2026. This ranges from lessons learned from how to communicate over the mission partner network (MPE) or testing doctrinal changes in command-and-control relationships. V Corps is also helping test the rapid integration of U.S. and Allied forces and command networks, which helps to validate communication systems at the corps level and above. This enables lower echelons to maneuver, improves large scale sustainment operations, and assists in keeping all-domain fires synchronized.

On a practical level, the command post exercise provides an ideal opportunity to train rigorous and intense staff functions, operations, “battle tracking,” decision-making and communications. Avenger Triad emphasized seamless integration of lethal and non-lethal effects in the eastern European operating environment.

Collaboration and synchronization are at the heart of this exercise, and V Corps is playing a key role in facilitating cooperation between USAREUR-AF and NATO forces. Avenger Triad is helping shape the fire's and protection communication structure between V Corps and NATO units, and the lessons learned will lead to a greater success in the warfighter exercise next year.

About V Corps

V Corps ... the senior, tactical headquarters in the contact layer ... provides training, increases readiness, and retains operational control of assigned and allocated units in order to compete across the competition continuum alongside Allies and Partners; deny adversaries in crisis; and, should conflict occur, fights and wins in Multi-domain, Large Scale Combat Operations to reestablish sovereign borders.

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