GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division brought Abrams Main Battle Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles back to the Baltics, central and southeastern Europe as they took over the Operation Atlantic Resolve mission Friday.

The 1st Brigade took over the U.S. Army’s Operation Atlantic Resolve mission in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from soldiers of 2nd Cavalry Regiment while also assuming the mission in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

The brigade previously took over the Atlantic Resolve mission May 1 in Poland.

"Nothing demonstrates commitment like having U.S. soldiers and heavy armored equipment on the ground training side by side with our allies," said Col. Phil Brooks, 1st Brigade commander. "This is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the collective defense of Europe."

As the regionally allocated force for U.S. European Command, 1st Brigade is responsible for serving as the European Rotational Force and the NATO Response Force.

This is the brigade’s third rotation to Europe since March 2015.

"We look to build on the relationships developed during our previous rotations and continue to build interoperability with our allies and partners so that we can operate seamlessly as a combined force," Brooks said.

Since April 2014, U.S. Army Europe has led the U.S. military’s land forces efforts by conducting continuous, enhanced multinational training and security cooperation activities with allies and partners in Eastern Europe.

"A strong military alliance can help deter any real or potential threat," Brooks said. "Operation Atlantic Resolve provides the opportunity to strengthen our deterrence by increasing the alliance’s collective readiness and responsiveness while ensuring peace in Europe."