Additional Ft. Riley troops to deploy to Europe as Ukrainians attempt to evacuate home country

FORT RILEY, Kan. (WIBW) - Ft. Riley’s senior commander and about 300 other Kansas soldiers are headed to Europe as tensions between Ukraine and Russia intensify.

The U.S. Army says about 300 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters and 1st Infantry Division Artillery will deploy to Europe in the coming days.

Officials said this is part of the 7,000 additional troops announced on Feb. 24 by the Department of Defense to support allies and partners in Europe.

The Army said the Ft. Riley soldiers will join the Division’s forward-deployed headquarters in Europe, which previously held about 80 soldiers from the Big Red One deployed in support of the Atlantic Resolve rotation in July 2021.

According to officials, the Big Red One soldiers will serve across Europe to reinforce allies as needed, especially on the eastern flank of NATO to ensure “deterrence and defense.”

The Army said the 1st Infantry Division is one unit of multi-mission units sent to assure and deter in Europe. It said soldiers stand ready to support the NATO alliance if called upon to do so.

“I’m extremely proud of our Big Red One team as we continue our historic legacy in Europe, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO Allies and partners, building readiness and increasing interoperability,” said Maj. Gen. D.A. Sims.

Officials stated Brig. Gen. Frank Stanco is the senior commander for the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, while Maj. Gen. D.A. Sims is in Europe with his Big Red One troops.

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