U.S. soldiers assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment wait under a full moon for the arrival of fellow squadron members by helicopter at a landing site near Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 14, 2025. The soldiers were involved in a reconnaissance exercise. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP REEDO, Estonia — Staff Sgt. Abel Silva trudged through the morning snow with a large rip down the left leg of his pants. He was tired, hungry and only about 20 miles from the Russian border.
Silva and a dozen or so other U.S. soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division arrived in southeastern Estonia by helicopter the night before, rushing into a forest under a full moon to begin reconnaissance work.
Wind created by the helicopter rotor whirled up snow on the ground, creating a disorienting whiteout. In the forest, snowfall hid uneven terrain, and the depths of ditches were difficult to detect, the soldiers said.
“It was exhausting, and it was challenging, but that comes with every mission that we do,” Silva said. “If it’s not difficult, then we’re doing something wrong.”
In the latest in a series of training exercises, Silva and his fellow soldiers are confronting the realities of defending one of NATO’s most vulnerable members, whose capital of Tallinn is a short distance by sea and land from Russia.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump is scheduled to talk with Russian President Vladmir Putin as the United States seeks a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine that would be expected to include territorial concessions by Kyiv.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all have strongly supported Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion, spurred by fears that a Russian victory could embolden Moscow elsewhere. The Baltic nations all were annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II and gained independence in 1991.
If Russia were to target the Baltics, those nations would rely on NATO’s collective defense agreement.
A red light illuminates U.S. soldiers after they disembarked from a helicopter for a nighttime reconnaissance exercise near Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 14, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A U.S. soldier assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment does maintenance work on a wheeled vehicle at Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 11, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Gunner Spc. Jeffery Garcia is shown inside an M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle at Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 11, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Trump and others in his administration have often criticized the NATO alliance and particularly members who spend relatively little on defense. But the Baltic nations are well above the alliance’s spending benchmark and have vowed to increase their shares to at least 5% of gross domestic product, as Trump has called for.
Last month, Trump told reporters the U.S. is “going to be very committed” to the Baltics.
The ongoing U.S. exercises in Estonia are being executed by the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, the Army’s most modernized reconnaissance squadron.
U.S. troop rotations to Estonia have taken place for more than a decade. But deployments to the country’s southeast date only to late 2022 as a direct response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid concerns of hostilities spreading into NATO member territory.
It’s been a little over a month since 5th Squadron assumed authority as the Army’s rotational force in southern Estonia. Its arrival marks the first time an armored brigade has deployed on rotation to the country, the service says.
The 5th Squadron serves as the eyes and ears for a brigade focused on high-intensity warfare, mechanized operations and large-scale ground combat. They gather intelligence on enemy positions and movements, threats and terrain, before the rest of the unit fights.
The best time to do that is often after sunset.
The emergency deployment exercise that began Friday played out in the dense forest adjacent to the recently constructed Camp Reedo, where most of 5th Squadron operates.
The troops brought in by helicopter are from the smaller contingent of 5th Squadron soldiers based in Lithuania, near the border with Belarus.
They had 18 hours to study maps, pack their equipment and make all other preparations. The moment they got out, it became clear that planning is no substitute for experience.
“We had a lot of slips and falls with the terrain,” Staff Sgt. Santiago Cueto said. “Obviously, there were some issues with the execution that we’ll work on, but I’m glad they were highlighted and brought to our attention.”
The learning curve in Estonia hasn’t been limited to the scouts in the field that night.
An M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle sits at Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 11, 2025. The U.S. Army's 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment is the first unit to bring the newest Bradley variant overseas. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The soldiers at Camp Reedo, where Stars and Stripes spent much of last week meeting with troops, discovered upon arriving here that keeping military vehicles ready for combat is very different in below-freezing temperatures than it is at their Fort Stewart, Ga., headquarters.
They had to order winterized parts and run the vehicles more often, among other precautions.
They are also learning the intricacies of the updated M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. A unit of the division’s 2nd Armored Brigade was the first in the Army to field the upgraded Bradley, and 5th Squadron is the first to bring them overseas.
“It’s had its ups and downs, but overall it’s a great platform,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brody Gay, a cavalry scout platoon sergeant.
He said 5th Squadron was proving that cavalry reconnaissance units remain essential for modern warfare, especially as the U.S. focuses on maintaining its edge against large powers such as Russia and China.
Drone warfare is fast becoming a big part of ground combat, as seen in Ukraine. But heavily wooded terrain can create blind spots for reconnaissance drones.
“We still need to put physical human beings on the ground,” Gay said.
Other units in the squadron are working with the new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, an upgrade from the Vietnam War-era M113 Armored Personnel Carrier, used for command, medical, logistics and indirect fire support.
Some 5th Squadron troops in Lithuania have also been given the latest Abrams main battle tank, the M1A2 SEPv3, to break in.
Lt. Col. Michael Hefti, commander of 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, seen at Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 11, 2025. Hefti said Estonia is providing an outstanding test for the modernized combat vehicles the unit has been using in exercises. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and)
Squadron commander Lt. Col. Michael Hefti said that in addition to gathering reconnaissance, the unit provides security to the main body of the brigade at times, such as when they are on the move.
Estonia was proving to be an excellent location for his unit to test its modernized vehicles.
“This is the actual terrain that we might have to fight on,” Hefti said. “You’re getting a chance to practice and rehearse in case someone ever did invade and in case we ever did have to fight here.”
About 700 American service members are typically deployed to Estonia. That includes the 5th Squadron soldiers and Task Force Voit, which trains Estonians on the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur in an interview last week described his country as a bulwark that prevents Russia from expanding further westward, with help from its allies.
“It has always been one of the top priorities to have U.S. forces here in Estonia because we all understand that troops on the ground is something which Russia takes very seriously,” Pevkur said.
U.S. soldiers assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment do maintenance work on an Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle at Camp Reedo, Estonia, March 13, 2025. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
