RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Members of a New Mexico Army National Guard medical unit are deploying to Poland.
Officials said a yellow ribbon ceremony was planned Saturday in Rio Rancho for about 65 soldiers with the 1209th Medical Support Company.
They will be in Poland for about nine months and will be providing medical support to U.S. military units stationed in the area as part Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The operation stems from the standoff between Ukraine and Russia that began in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and threw its weight behind separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, the U.S. Army, led by Army Europe, has conducted enhanced multinational training and security cooperation activities with allies and partners in eastern Europe because of increased regional tensions.