21 – Field Exercise
Summary
CPT Adrian Codalbu ROM (A), MAJ Jakub Zdunski POL (A); both MW COE
For a better understanding of the environment, the special needs of mountain troops and the opportunities that they can create, our Centre, in cooperation with the 132nd Mountain Regiment of the Slovenian Army, conducted a Field Exercise in the Mačkovec Shooting Range on 4th October. The aim was to show the capabilities of mountain troops in conducting deep activities through vertical manoeuvre, and how new technologies can enhance warfighting in mountainous environments.
The first part of the event was a tactical scenario where a platoon conducted a hostage rescue mission in mountainous terrain. To achieve this with maximum efficiency, all modern warfighting tools and assets were involved:
– Reconnaissance was conducted by UAVs so that ground forces could plan infiltration routes according to the specific terrain and enemy positions;
– The field activities were conducted in a multi-domain environment, orchestrating Air and Land to conduct an air assault in combination with suppressive fires, ground manoeuvres and medical air evacuation from the battlefield;
– The civil environment was also involved in many aspects, supporting the deployment of UAVs, ensuring link and feed from forces in the terrain to command and control elements, and providing cargo lift and resupply by different types of drones.
The second part of the Field Exercise consisted of practical presentations and workshops with modern military equipment relevant to the mountain environment. The participants had the chance to see and experience the mobility and practical employment of a twin chassis multi-purpose Bronco Tracked Infantry Carrier, designed specifically for traversing difficult mountain terrain, the Helix Operations’ products for tactical mountaineering, and two different types of UAVs: one small tactical with enhanced ISR capabilities to support situational awareness, and the second with the ability to lift and carry cargo in vertical terrain to resupply deployed forces.
This Field Exercise showed that Mountain Warfare is constantly evolving, and today it has developed into a combination of small, highly specialized forces operating through multiple domains, and modern technologies that can achieve greater effects over larger distances. This practical presentation played its part as an illustration of all the theoretical topics that were addressed during the Vertical Manoeuvre MW Congress.
