This morning the Italian contingent, led by the Bersaglieri "Garibaldi" brigade, together with the personnel of the 2nd Brigade of the Qatar Army, conducted the main phase of the NASR 19 exercise. The complex tactical activity, carried out in the presence of the head of state Major in Defense, General Enzo Vecciarelli, the Army Chief of Staff, Army Corps General Salvatore Farina and the highest local military authorities, saw the use of about 800 Italian soldiers, 1200 Qatari soldiers and over 250 combat and logistic vehicles.
Starting from last September 12, following careful coordinated planning between the two nations and through a complex logistic operation, the national structure exercised was deployed at 3.800 km from Italy, in the training area of the Al- Galail, a town south of the capital Doha. An area with characteristics suitable for carrying out activities which, due to the number of tracked and wheeled vehicles used and the volume of fire, it would not be possible to develop in training areas on the Italian territory.
Thus forces, level Battle Group and organized according to the pluriarma approach, they expressed different operational capabilities thus managing to maximize the combat power expressable in tactical activities and to verify the level of cooperation and interoperability of the command and control systems between the two armies. Furthermore, as part of the training activities developed by the Italian personnel, some of the capabilities that will be placed in high readiness in favor of NATO were also tested.
The final exercise, carried out at the end of a joint training cycle lasting about a month, included a fire demonstration of all the weapon systems used. In particular, the Italian heavy infantry team of the Task Force, based on the 1st Bersaglieri regiment, made up of about 300 soldiers, employed VCC 80 tracked vehicles Dart, C1 tanks Ram, VBM Arrow, 120 mm and 81 mm mortars and Light Multirole Tactical Vehicles (VTLM) Lynx.
Also present on the ground were the assets of selected shooters, a team Raven, anti-tank systems Milan e Spike, a team of acquirers, targets of the Army Special Forces, engineers of the Genio and related last generation medium vehicles like the VTMM Bear (in different configurations), vehicles for logistic support, pioneer wagons and vehicles for health care. To complete the deployment, FH70 howitzers, G-MLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) launchers and PZH 2000, latest generation artillery with the possibility of using GPS-guided and long-range ammunition, capable of hitting small targets by limiting possible collateral damage.
In this context, the professional versatility of the Army men and women was confirmed, ready to operate in situations characterized by extreme environmental factors and capable of using modern command and control systems even in technologically degraded conditions.
The NASR 19, which will conclude the next 27 October, represents an important training opportunity in a multinational key, allowing the consolidation of the technical-tactical procedures of the units deployed by the Italian Army and the Qatari Army and is framed in a strategic scenario of reference increasingly influenced by multiple dynamics and in continuous evolution.
