English: The 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery’s U.S. Army Patriot Missile Systems arrived in Croatia May 17, 2021 to participate in DEFENDER-Europe 21 associated exercise Astral Knight 21 and exercise Immediate Response 21. The systems completed their journey after a day-long convoy of 50 vehicles through Slovenia into Croatia. The Regiment is participating in a series of combined exercises with multiple NATO allied and partner forces as part of DEFENDER-Europe 21. The exercises increase interoperability with host nation forces and demonstrate the battlefield capabilities of 5-7 ADA. The systems were displayed for Croatian forces and local media outlets to get an introduction to the Patriot systems. The 5-7 ADA employed the systems during DEFENDER-Europe 21, a large-scale U.S. Army-led exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between U.S., NATO allies and partner militaries. This year more than 28,000 multinational forces from 26 nations will conduct nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in more than a dozen countries from the Baltics to the strategically important Balkans and Black Sea Region. Follow the latest news and information about DEFENDER-Europe 21, visit www.EuropeAfrica.army.mil/DefenderEurope. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexandra Shea)