Fort Hood soldiers deployed to Europe in aid of allies

FORT HOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- About 160 soldiers from the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood deployed on Monday to support the NATO Response Force.

On Feb. 24, the NATO Response Force announced it would send 7,000 U.S. military personnel earmarked in support of allies in Europe.

Fort Hood soldiers sent will augment U.S. forces in the European theater. They are trained and equipped for various missions to reinforce the U.S. European Command posture on NATO's eastern flank, according to the III Armored Corps.

"Our Soldiers are trained and ready," said Col. Matthew Ruedi, the 13th ESC deputy commanding officer. "Elements of our heavy transportation company have deployed to Europe to reassure NATO allies, deter Russian aggression, and are prepared to support a range of other operations in the region."

The soldiers won't necessarily step foot in Ukraine, but they will be working with allies to send support to the country.

Ruedi also ensured families were kept in the loop during the process of the unit getting ready to deploy.

"It's not just our soldiers that we ensure are ready for this mission, but we do everything we can to make sure families are ready, too," Ruedi said. "Things can change rapidly in situations like this. Making sure we communicate with our families not only helps manage expectations, but it also contributes to our overall readiness."