Author: 252nd AD Missile Battalion facebook page|Caption: The 252nd Air Defence Missile Battalion at Trident Juncture 18
NATO and Norway organized one of the largest military exercises ever held in the country. Around 50,000 participants from all over NATO and its partners, more than 30 nations, were in Norway for the exercise Trident Juncture 2018. The task of the Czech troops during the exercise was to provide Air Defence for the first line mechanized and armoured battalions and for the tactical command post of the 9th Armour Brigade.
From air, land, maritime, special operation forces and amphibious forces, with around 250 aircraft, 65 vessels, including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, and up to 10,000 vehicles were used during the exercise. The exercise was to test the whole military chain – from troop training at the tactical level, to command over large forces.
Czech ground air defence personnel from the 25th Air Defence Missile Regiment joined with the German 9th Armour Brigade on 22nd November. Two hundred soldiers, up to 70 vehicles, and dozens of containers were transported during a week-long combined railway, ship and road journey, leaving Strakonice in the Czech Republic for the final destination. The task of the Czech troops during the exercise was to provide Air Defence for the first line mechanized and armoured battalions and for the tactical command post of the 9th Armour Brigade.
See also: The Czech Ground Air Defence joins the NRF
The 252nd Air Defence Missile Battalion came with its RBS-70’s (Swedish Robotsystem 70) which is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces, produced by the Swedish Saab Bofors Dynamics A.B.
See also: RBS-70 Anti-Aircraft Missle System: the Czech price checked
The exercise, held in order to train and test NATO's ability to plan and conduct a major collective defence operation, certifies the NATO Response Force (NRF) for 2019. Under the OSCE Vienna Document on military transparency, exercises must be notified to OSCE member states 42 days in advance if exceeding 9,000 troops, and observation is required starting at 13,000 troops. Observers were provided with briefings on the exercise, opportunities to observe forces and speak to troops, and aerial overflight of the area of military activity.
Twenty observers from thirteen OSCE countries - Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, UK, Netherlands, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States also participated in the exercise’s Distinguished Visitor’s Day on Tuesday (30th October 2018). In a separate programme, NATO has invited observers from partner nations to the exercise, including Sweden, New Zealand, Serbia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Switzerland.
“All members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe have been invited to send observers to the exercise, because NATO Allies respect the letter and the spirit of our international commitments. So Trident Juncture is not only a great example of NATO’s strength, but also of NATO’s transparency,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
The exercise took place in central and eastern Norway and the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden from 25th October to 7th November. A command post exercise (CPX) will follow from 14th to 23rd November.