CAMP REEDO, Estonia- Lt. Col. Michael Hefti and Command Sgt. Maj. Jose Padilla, the commander and senior enlisted advisor of 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, assumed authority over Task Force War Paint, V Corps’ rotational force in Estonia, Feb 10, 2025.

Task Force War Paint was initially deployed in under a week to Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the Task Force has had a consistent presence in Estonia working with NATO allies and deterring Russian aggression.

“You can only deter by being present,” said Hefti. “Our mission is to deter Russia through presence and demonstrated lethality, security cooperation, and to train on the terrain we may have to fight on someday with our allies.”

Soldiers of 5-7 Cav train at night and in some of the worst conditions in order to be a lethal entity regardless of weather, terrain, or other obstacles. The training here allows for the dismounted, and mounted reconnaissance teams to get a better understanding of the terrain and how to effectively communicate with foreign partners.

“I like that we are here with the dense terrain,” said Padilla. “It’s going to be challenging and it’s going to be good training to focus down to the team level, exercise our capabilities and stress the communication from dismount and mounted all the way up to squadron and brigade.”

5-7 Cav is the most modernized reconnaissance squadron in the U.S. Army. 5-7 Cav is the first U.S. Army unit to be fielded the M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and have taken the Bradleys to the Joint National Training Center to become better acquainted with the vehicle ahead of transporting them to Estonia.

“The difference between the M2A4 Bradley and the M2A3 is the technology,” said Staff Sgt. Jake Perez, vehicle commander of a M2A4 Bradley assigned to 5-7 Cav. “Better Communications and tracking gives us an upper hand on the battlefield by giving us a better outlook than the A3’s.”

The Soldiers assigned to 5-7 Cav trained with the new M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during the NATO exercise, Winter Camp as simulated opposing forces for U.K. French and Estonian troops. During this exercise, U.S. Soldiers were able to see how other countries train and the tactics employed to accomplish a mission. Each country was able to learn and teach different perspectives and operations in order to reach a common goal, strengthening the communication skills and relationships between allies.

“It was different working with them because they have different tactics and different preparations,” said Perez. “One of the differences is we are very dismount oriented and we use them a little more.”

Along with the M2A4 Bradleys, 5-7 Cav also has new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Mortars, M1284 Medical Evacuation Vehicles, M1285 Medical Treatment Vehicles, Anti-Tank weapons, and numerous other technologies and systems in order to modernize their fight and increase their lethality.

“The Estonians have a long history of training in this type of terrain and lots of history of how the Soviets fought in the Baltics,” said Hefti. “They taught us a lot of lessons about fighting in the cold and restrictive terrain.”

5-7 Cav is assisting the 2nd Brigade Estonian Defense Force in modernizing their Armored Personnel Carriers and other new technologies. Estonia is currently awaiting the arrival of the new High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and will be trained by the U.S. forces on how to operate such systems.

“Being here working and fighting with NATO allies, there are two main points, mutual trust and shared understanding, which are the focus of every aspect of what we are doing here,“ said Lt. Col. Antti Viljaste, commander of the 2nd Brigade Estonian Defense Force.

Looking forward, Task Force War Paint will be participating in multiple force-on-force training events with the Estonians and are preparing for Exercise Hedgehog, where the use of new systems will be implemented as part of the U.S. Army Transforming in Contact initiative.

“It’s important to bring your lethality and to bring your defensive mindsets, so thank you for being here,” said Viljaste to the 5-7 Cav formation during the Assumption of Authority ceremony.

Multinational training establishes a unified force with a presence that is aimed at deterring adversaries by being both lethal and agile while securing NATO’s eastern flank. The hospitality and friendship between the U.S. and Estonian forces showcases the mutual respect between both and their interoperability on the battlefield.

“We are building relationships with friends,” said Hefti. “You fight harder in war when there is an established relationship and friendship.”