Land Forces
5 thousand NATO Paratroopers In Training. Including Those From Poland
Swift Response 2015 exercise involves almost 5 thousand troops from the airborne formations, coming from 11 NATO member states, including the soldiers of the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade. The aim of this exercise which is quite unusual in its scale, is to check the combat readiness regarding rapid deployment, should a crisis situation arise in Europe. The multinational force conducts training operations in Germany, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria.
Swift Response 2015 operation is going to last from 17th to 29th August. The exercise is divided into two phases. The first phase is going to include planning stage of an airborne operation, parachute drops of the troops and equipment would be carried out, along with a landing operation, with the aircraft landing on the ground, with execution of the combat tasks directly after the landing. The second stage of the exercise is going to include a live-fire training exercise and execution of tasks by mixed, international elements, at the level of platoon and at the company level.
Not only is the review of combat readiness of the involved units the primary goal of the exercise, as the forces that participate in the operation are also going to be assessed within the scope of cooperation in an allied setting. Thus, the operations are carried out in the southern part of Germany, in Italy, Romania and Bulgaria. The whole exercise is coordinated by the US 82nd Airborne Division.
Swift Response 2015 is the largest training for the NATO airborne units and one of the largest air-operations in Europe planned this year. According to the assumptions, the operation constitutes a test for the NATO forces, within the scope of rapid response in crisis situations that may potentially emerge in Europe. The exercise involves more than 4800 soldiers from the airborne units of Bulgaria, France, Greece, Spain, Holland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States of America. Large aviation component is also involved in the operations, both within the scope of transport, as well as within the area of support.
Poland is represented by soldiers coming from the 6th Airborne Brigade, assigned to cooperate with two multinational battalions – a US and a German-Dutch unit. The Polish officers are also a part of the exercise’s leadership. They are also involved in the operations of the staffs of the units taking part in the training at the battalion level.