 Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne have gotten the opportunity to conduct Krav Maga combat training at the Adazi military base in Adazi, Latvia. Krav Maga is a self-defense system developed by the Israeli military and has elements of grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, among other forms of martial arts, and its main focus is on threat neutralization in rural world situations. The paratroopers learn techniques in hand-to-hand, pistol, knife, and staff training situations. The paratroopers were taught by certified instructor Sergeant Andrus Lubis of the Latvian Scout Company support battalion. Scout platoon leader First Lieutenant William McDermott participated in the training and talked about how Krav Maga can help soldiers in battle. I think as warriors we need to think about every aspect of the battlefield. From a big picture where we're bringing to bear indirect fire assets, as well as aviation assets, to a most micro picture which would be hand-to-hand combat. Obviously we hope it never comes to that point, but history tells us that unfortunately American soldiers do find themselves in a situation where they don't have to know how to defend themselves properly. If their weapon's been dropped, if it's been taken away, and all they have are their hands to defend themselves. From the Michigan National Guard, I'm Specialist John Brandenburg.