; Whereas, despite the COVID–19 pandemic, military leaders were able to safely proceed with DEFENDER-EUROPE 2020 training objectives during two coordinated phases; Whereas, starting with Allied Spirit, the first phase, United States and Polish forces completed a Division-size wet gap crossing of 6,000 troops and 100 vehicles over several hundred feet of river, and the exercise was also able to test casualty evacuation capabilities over arduous terrain, validating United States and Polish forces interoperability in deploying rapidly together; and Whereas, during the second phase of DEFENDER-EUROPE 2020, in the Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise, the United States Army validated its ability to surge and rapidly redeploy combat vehicles and over 500 troops to Poland under the Department of Defense’s Dynamic Force Employment concept, and these flexes in operational plans ensured that military forces could adapt logistical and protective requirements vital in sustaining the force during an emergent threat: Now, therefore, be it