From May 17 to 22 May, the Republic of Slovenia will host the multinational exercise Adriatic Strike 2021 for the ninth consecutive time. The Slovenian Armed Forces will collaborate with 22 other NATO and PfP member states to provide Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training. This year’s exercise, which will be organized and conducted by the Slovenian Armed Force’s 15th Wing Command, will train certified JTACs, shooting platform teams, company commanders and Forward Air Controllers (FACs).
Adriatic Strike 2021 will be linked to the joint multinational exercise Astral Knight 2021. Participants from both exercises will conduct joint search and rescue training. Exercise Adriatic Strike will include approx. 650 participants, 400 of them from Allies Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, United States of America and the United Kingdom as observer; NATO Partners Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina will also participate.
“Meaningful JTAC training depends on a truly multinational environment where JTACs from one nation work with ground force commanders from another and supporting aircraft from yet another nation,” said Lieutenant Colonel Janez Gaube, Commander of the Slovenian 15th Wing. “Slovenia has achieved a good mix of Allied and Partner rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft as well as unmanned aerial vehicles that will enable challenging and theatre-realistic JTAC training allowing participants to keep their tactical specialist capabilities and skills current,” he added.
Aircraft supporting JTAC training will be based at Cerklje ob Krki and Brnik Air Bases, while some Allied aircraft will be flying missions from their home bases. JTAC training will take place at five locations around Slovenia. Aircraft, tanks and mortars will provide fire support at the main SAF training area in Postojna, while air support will be simulated only in the areas of Tolmin, RadeÄe, Murska Sobota, and the wider surroundings of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. This year’s addition to the exercise is an uninterrupted 72-hour training which will take place at and around the barracks of Maribor, Celje and Ljubljana, and at the DivaÄa airport from May 18-20.
