Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) spoke by phone with Major General Charles D. Costanza, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, regarding the forthcoming deployment of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3ID, to Germany as part of the additional 7,000 servicemembers ordered forward by President Biden in support of the mission responding to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Senator Warnock and Major General Costanza discussed the unprecedented nature of this deployment, given it is the first time in recent history that an Armored Brigade Combat Team has deployed rapidly in support of a contingency operation. They also discussed how the deployment will impact the families of the unit; only seven months ago the unit returned from a 9-month deployment to Korea, and the unit could now be deployed—on short notice—for up to 6 months. Major General Constanza shared how difficult this type of deployment is, including how different it is from known schedules that units have maintained over the last 20 years. Major General Costanza also shared how quickly and effectively the unit prepared to deploy. 

In the coming days, Fort Stewart’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3ID, will arrive at the Joint Multinational Training Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Senator Warnock offered Major General Constanza his unwavering support for the servicemembers and their families, and made clear that he will communicate anything needed by the unit to Congress during this mission. Senator Warnock closed the call by thanking Major General Costanza and the unit for their courageous service, and reiterating that he and his staff are standing by to assist the unit in any way.

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