On 15-17 June, Headquarters Multinational Division North East (MND-NE) with a number of subordinate units conducted exercise Amber Desire 21 in order to test the rapid mobility of their forward command element. The Division’s personnel and equipment were deployed to the Polish naval base in Gdynia. It was an important opportunity for soldiers and sailors to train together and to maintain a high level of interoperability.
Led by MND-NE, Amber Desire is an annual training exercise. Its purpose is to test the ability of a task team with a mobile command element to move anywhere across the Division’s Area of Responsibility on a very short notice. Amber Desire encompasses the Division Headquarters and its subordinate and affiliated units. The exercise helps to improve procedures, cooperation and the capabilities of MND-NE to carry out tasks on an international scale.
This year, soldiers from Headquarters MND-NE, its Command Support Regiment and the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group Poland deployed to the Polish naval base in Gdynia. On 15 June, the eFP personnel set off from their barracks in Bemowo Piskie (northeastern Poland) to link up with the Division’s staff in the ElblÄ…g-located Headquarters, 230 km west. Together, they deployed to the Gdynia naval base, another 100 km west. On site, the divisional units worked with the Polish 2d Transport and Mine Ships Squadron, 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla.
Along with a sea movement to the Baltic, the main part of the exercise involved the embarkation/disembarkation of heavy equipment and military personnel. Amber Desire offered the Allied soldiers an excellent opportunity to get familiar with a great many naval procedures. Consequently, it has enhanced the rapid-reaction capabilities of the men and women ofMultinational Division North East (MND-NE).
Activated in 2017, Multinational Corps Northeast’s MND-NE coordinates activities of the Lithuanian Iron Wolf and Polish 15th Mechanized Brigade as well as their subordinate eFP Battle Groups in Lithuania and Poland. These tasks consist of the management of training and increasing situational awareness in the region. Moreover, MND-NE is ready to carry out collective defence operations in accordance with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
