About 400 paratroopers jumped from transport planes over Andersen Air Force Base Tuesday morning at the start of a series of exercises being conducted this week
The paratroopers are from the 4th Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division stationed in Alaska.
The C-17 Globemasters flew in all the way from Alaska to demonstrate the military’s ability to rapidly deploy an airborne combat brigade in the Pacific region.
It was the largest airborne exercise at Andersen in recent memory.
U.S. Army Col. Christopher Landers led the Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise.
He’s quoted in a news release as saying that it demonstrated the army’s ability to deploy anywhere in the U. S. Indo-Pacific at a moment’s notice.”
Island residents captured the paratroopers in action on their cell phones and posted the videos on social media.
Many were awed by the sight and some said they were annoyed.
One observer said it looked like an invasion.
###
