NRDC-ITA was the protagonist of a unique exercise of its kind, conducted for the first time in the national and allied areas, the "Eagle Overland 2018". The activity was the first that saw one of the highly operational readiness NATO forces verify the capacity for rapid intervention and deployment in a hypothetical crisis area, respecting the fees imposed by the Alliance. NRDC-ITA, in fact, for the whole 2018 holds the role of Command of the Earth Component of the NATO Response Force (NRF)
The exercise was planned and conducted by NRDC-ITA, along with other operational structures of the Units dependent and affiliated to the Command, including the "Ariete" Armored Brigade, which for the 2018 holds the role of Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF-L) of the NRF.
The purpose of the exercise was to verify the ability of NRDC-ITA to rapidly deploy various Army operational structures from the national territory to Bucharest (Romania), covering about 1800 km on a road route that crossed Slovenia and Hungary. In this way, the rapid deployment of the first Command, Control and Communications unit that NRDC-ITA could detach with the task of facilitating the entry of forces into a hypothetical crisis area was simulated.
As a culmination of an intense planning activity conducted by NRDC-ITA, in coordination not only with other Allied Commands, but also with the Authorities and Police Forces of the countries crossed, the procedures necessary for the transit of the operational set-up of the Army through the borders and territories of the three States concerned. This has allowed an always rapid, continuous and fluid logistic movement, in adherence with the requirements established by NATO.
The team of specialists deployed, composed of 50 elements of the staff of NRDC-ITA and the employees and affiliated units, has moved in conditions of absolute autonomy and with vehicles supplied to the Army. Once the destination was reached, the team immediately set up the first Seat Command structure which, thanks to protected satellite connections, represented the "bridgehead" to facilitate the eventual deployment of other Units.
The activities were coordinated with the Command of the Terrestrial Operating Forces and the Army Operational Command, and constantly controlled by the NRDC-ITA operating room, exploiting the most advanced classified systems of audio-video satellite communication. The NRDC-ITA staff, in fact, in close and constant contact with the NATO Multinational Division South East (MND-SE) of Bucharest and the NATO Forces Integration Unit (NFIUs) Romania, was able to exercise an effective Command and Control remotely of all movements, displaying them in real time through the LOGFAS Logistic Functional Area Services (LOGFAS) system. The exercise also provided interesting lessons learned that will be made available in favor of the National Defense and multinational sector, especially with regard to the procedures implemented for the transit management and the tracking of the movement with the NATO Authorities of the countries crossed.
The "Eagle Overland 2018" was carried out as part of the activities aimed at maintaining the operational readiness level of the NRDC-ITA, which since last January and throughout the 2018 covers the role of Command of the Land Component Command of the NATO Response Force (NRF). It is a multinational and inter-military military instrument that represents the "spearhead" of the Alliance for the collective defense of the member countries. Approved by the NATO Defense Ministers in the 2003, after the NATO 2014 Summit in Warsaw, the NRF has been reconfigured to make it more effective to address the growing threats to collective security.
