The "Silver Arrow" exercise ended with the participation of 3500 men from 11 NATO Allied Countries, in which an Italian medium infantry company took part.
The exercise began on October 18 with a movement of over 150 combat and logistic vehicles that deployed at the Aluksne site about 250km to Northeast Riga. This activity wanted to test the ability to risk fast on the field a large number of men and means at significant distances.
In the second phase, however, an exercise was exercised against opposing parties, where the units had the opportunity to implement their procedures and their common training against a military simulated enemy coming from Multinational Battle Group deployed in Estonia. The activity lasted seven consecutive days and saw the military fight in climatic conditions characterized by temperatures almost constantly below 0 °.
The exercise ended with a demonstration in the presence of the political and military authorities of the participating countries, including the commander of the 9 ° Infantry Regiment Colonel Fabrizio De Pasquale, who were able to see and touch the vehicles and weapons of the various national Contingents as well as observing the single units in the conduct of activities of various kinds, from the search and blasting of improvised devices, to the reclamation of materials contaminated by aggressive chemicals until the overcoming of a minefield and the conduct of infantry attacks.
The Italian unit employed during the "Silver Arrow" is made up of about 100 men on board Medium Armored Vehicles (VBM) 8x8 "Freccia" and Light Multirole Tactical Vehicles (VTLM) "Lince".
The "Silver Arrow" exercise is a fundamental step in the training and integration of the units that took part in it as it has been shown that, with training and sharing of procedures, it is possible to lay the foundations to be able to live , move and fight together, as has been repeatedly reiterated by Colonel Ilmārs Lejiņš, commander of the 1st Latvian Infantry Brigade, congratulating the participants on the objectives achieved.
The Italian company exercised comes from the contingent deployed, for over five months in Latvia, and is part of the Canadian-led Multinational Battle Group consisting of about 1200 soldiers from Albania, Canada, Poland, Slovenia and Spain.
The militaries who take part in this mission come from the 9 ° infantry regiment "Bari", located in Trani, with the orders of the brigate command "Pinerolo", of the 3 ° bersaglieri regiment, of the 62 ° Infantry Regiment "Sicily" and 232 ° regiment transmissions.
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 EFF is a measure of a defensive nature, proportionate and fully in line with NATO's international commitment to strengthen the principle of Alliance deterrence and represents a clear example of determination in fulfilling the primary collective security mission of the ' Euro-Atlantic territorial integrity against any possible aggression and threat, as well as the reaffirmation of cohesion and solidarity among member countries.
