A brigade of Army soldiers from the Florida National Guard has been in Ukraine for about a week on a training mission, even as Russian forces continue massing on the border and both countries' political leaders try to lower tensions.
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Washington National Guard soldiers – 700 – heading to Poland for NATO mission
The deployment to Poland is the largest for the Washington National Guard since the 81st Brigade Combat Team deployed in 2009-2010 and 2004-2005 to support Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
The Guardsmen, from multiple units of the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, will support Enhanced Forward Presence, one of four multinational battalion-size battle groups stationed in Eastern Europe.
The battalion-size battlegroups, led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States, are meant to demonstrate the strength of the transatlantic bond, and make clear that an attack on one ally would be considered an attack on the whole alliance.