The commitment of the "Julia" Alpine brigade continues in the context of the operation enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) in Hungary, where since last February it has been part of the battle group of the Hungarian-led NATO, made up not only of Italian soldiers, but also of contingents from Croatia and the United States of America.
In recent months, the departments of the "Julia" have developed numerous exercise activities, following a training progression in three phases, which has ensured a gradual preparation of all personnel of the battle group.
The first phase served to standardize the different operational procedures used by military contingents of different nationalities (American, Croatian and Hungarian), in an operational context in which different land components are used, from infantry to artillery up to the use of engineers and cavalry.
Having established a solid starting point, the subsequent phases saw the integration of the Italian team with the other components of the battle group, with activities, both of a defensive and offensive nature, which have allowed the practical application of the doctrinal procedures of the Atlantic Alliance.
Training in such a vast and broad context, at an international level, has made it possible to increase the preparation and baggage of experience of each individual soldier, who was thus able to train on the ground side by side with the soldiers of Allied countries, comparing techniques and procedures and overcoming the first and most classic of difficulties: the diversity of the language.
All this has also been possible thanks to the support ofItalian National Support Element, or the national logistics component, which supported the operational activities of the Italian maneuvering company, making use of logistics.
Over the course of these six months, in fact, in addition to the ordinary maintenance carried out on site by the personnel in charge, various extraordinary logistical assistances were carried out with teams of specialized technicians from Italy, which allowed the complete reconditioning of weapon systems and combat platforms, such as the armored Centaur or the FH70 howitzer. In this way the Italian contingent was able to operate continuously and always at maximum efficiency.
All operational and training activities conducted by the Italian Armed Forces on the south-eastern flank of NATO are ordered by the Chief of Defense Staff and carried out under the coordination and according to the directives given by the operational command of interforce forces (COVI).
