HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. – The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, held a color casing ceremony, March 23, 2023, at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, in preparation for their upcoming rotation to Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve.

The casing of the colors is a military tradition that symbolizes a unit’s movement from their headquarters location to a deployed environment.

“The 3rd Infantry Division is no stranger to deployments,” said Col. Eric Vanek, 3rd CAB commander. “Since its inception during World War One, the 3rd ID has habitually proven itself as the most capable and dependable fighting force on the planet. The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade has continued this storied legacy throughout operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we stand ready to assume our next mission, Atlantic Resolve.”

In preparation for the rotation, the brigade has upgraded their equipment to become one of the most modernized combat aviation brigades in the Army and conducted numerous readiness training missions.

“Since returning from Europe in 2020, 3rd CAB has aggressively pursued readiness to ensure our crews are prepared to deploy, fight and win in any large-scale combat operation,” said Vanek. “We immediately modernized our equipment, we returned to the basic principles of Army training to ensure we can win in any conditions. We slept in tents, conducted convoy live fires, tested our analog systems and pumped fuel in the dark and in the rain. Simply put, we relearned how to fight in the dirt so we could effectively bring the full capability of a combat aviation brigade into the fight.”

Since April 2014, U.S. Army Europe and Africa has led the Department of Defense’s Atlantic Resolve land efforts. Atlantic Resolve provides rotational deployments of combat-credible forces to Europe to show our commitment to NATO while building readiness, increasing interoperability and enhancing the bonds between ally and partner militaries.