Latvia: completed "Claymore Forged" NATO exercise

(To Greater Defense)
14/03/18

The exercise began on March 5 with the use of about 1000 soldiers from various NATO Allied countries and over 100 combat and logistic vehicles that were deployed at the location of Kadaga, in the training area of ​​the Camp Adazi range. , about 50 km north-east of Riga. This activity aimed to test and validate in the field the defensive and maneuvering capabilities of the various units belonging to the Battle Group eFP Latvia, focusing on the interoperability of the various international assets present in the battalion, including such as infantry, engineering, armored and CBRN units.

The exercise was carried out with opposing parties, trying to implement common technical / tactical procedures among the various components, the culmination of a joint training cycle of about three months between the various NATO allies. The simulated enemy was played by soldiers from the Latvian mechanized infantry brigade residing in the Adazi barracks.

The duration of this activity has been continuous seven days, where the soldiers of the alpine troops have shown to know how to work, live, move and fight in decidedly adverse weather conditions, characterized by snow, ice and temperatures that were constantly around the - 20 ° C, characteristics that however are reconciled with the Alpine specialty.

The Italian unit deployed during the "Claymore Forged" saw the commitment of about 100 soldiers aboard Armored Reconnaissance Vehicles for snow-covered terrain (BV 206 S7), typical of Alpine troops, and Light Multirole Tactical Vehicles (VTLM ) "Lynx".

The exercise was a fundamental step in the training and integration of the units that took part in it, as the conduct was observed in the case of operations such as the reclamation of personnel, materials and vehicles contaminated by aggressive CBRN; the discovery and blasting of simulated IEDs; the breach of a minefield or of passive artificial obstacles concurrent with the assets of the genius and armored, up to the conduct of infantry attacks, supported by the indirect fire of mortars and artillery. Moreover, this experience has revealed a unique opportunity to train every single element of the Company, from the Commanders to the various levels up to the last soldier, to operate in this type of operating environment, colliding with the multiple problems arising from stress, fatigue and the various tactical situations created by the managers of the exercise and evaluators.

The Italian employed company belongs to the second rotation of Contingente deployed in Latvia, and is framed in the Multinational Battle Group with Canadian leadership consisting of about 1200 soldiers from Albania, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Canada.

L'enhanced Forward Presence it is part of a general strengthening of the presence of NATO Forces on European territory, both on the eastern border and on the Mediterranean Sea. The eFP is a measure of a defensive nature, proportionate and fully in line with NATO's international commitment to strengthen the Alliance's principle of deterrence and represents a clear example of the determination to fulfill the primary collective security mission of the Euro-Atlantic territorial integrity.