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Video by Sgt. Caitlinn Belcher, Sgt. Kalypso Braynen

INTERVIEW: Swift Response 25 HOSPEX Lt. Col. Marie Hoffman

361st Theater Public Affairs Support Element

May 17, 2025 | 4:20

Lt. Col. Marie Hoffman, with the 519th Hospital Center, 30th Medical Brigade, discusses the Hospital Exercise (HOSPEX) conducted during Swift Response 2025 at Vepriai Rocket Base, Lithuania, May 17, 2025.

U.S. units participating include the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 160th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment (FRSD), 519th Field Hospital, 68th Theater Medical Command, and the 7384th Blood Detachment. NATO Role 2 Enhanced medical teams and Lithuanian Armed Forces medics conduct joint trauma lanes and mass casualty drills, building interoperability and combat medical readiness across the Alliance.

DEFENDER 25 is the largest annual U.S. Army exercise in Europe, incorporating approximately 25,000 soldiers from 29 Allied and partner nations to rehearse the ability to rapidly deploy forces, integrate and expand multi-domain operations capability, and demonstrate combined command and control structures. Simultaneous operations will take place during three exercises—Swift Response, Immediate Response, and Saber Guardian—across 15 countries, building readiness and interoperability between the U.S., NATO Allies, and partner nations from May 11 to June 24, 2025.

(U.S. Army Reserve Video by Sgt. Kalypso Braynen, Sgt. Caitlinn Belcher)