Operation Mousquetaire
The 1st Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade Demon Brigade has arrived in Europe for their nine months deployment in support of Atlantic Resolve.
Late January 2021, the large logistic operation started with the forwarding of the brigade’s helicopters, vehicles and equipment to the port of Beaumont (TX) where all equipment was embarked on the American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC) Endurance.
After unloading about forty Black Hawks in Alexandroupoli (Greece) on 24 February 2021, the Endurance set sail towards Dunkirk (France) where it arrived in the morning of 6 March 2021.
The main port and repositioning operation is now in full swing at the port of Dunkirk. Supported by the French police and military, the operation is called “Operation Mousquetaire” (Operation Musketeer). The Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AdlA, French Air and Space Force), the Gendarmerie and the police are involved to supply for fuel, air traffic control, validation of aviation rules and security in and around the temporary military zone.
In total 350 soldiers are involved to unload, stage and relocate around 56 helicopters, 200 vehicles and more than 500 containers. A commercial line haul is set up at the port, where seven freight trains will transport the equipment further into Europe.
On the aviation part all the helicopters will make a test flight to l’aéroport de Calais/Dunkerque “Louis Blériot” to validate all systems are working. From Calais/Dunkerque airport, the helicopters will fly with possibly one or more technical stops to Illesheim-Storck Barracks Army Heliport (Germany). Some will continue to their permanent Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Powidz (Poland). The FOBs Mihail Kogălniceanu (Romania) and Lielvārde (Latvia) will receive Black Hawks from the operation in Greece.
Unlike their last deployment in 2019, the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) from Fort Riley/Marshall AAF (KS) did not bring the 1-6th Air Cav Sq which has now deployed to South-Korea, but took along the 1-1st Attack Battalion with the AH-64E. Other units involved are the 2-1st General Support Battalion flying the UH-60L, HH-60M and CH-47F and the 3-1st Assault Helicopter Battalion operating the UH-60M.
A more comprehensive report of the operation will appear in next month's issue of Scramble Magazine.
Photos: Marijn van der Burgt