A multinational group consisting of Romanians, Croatians, British, and Americans conducted a deployment readiness exercise called “Rifle Ready,” at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland on July 1, 2021. NATO deployment readiness exercises, like Rifle Ready, test the alliance’s speed of response in preparation for collective defense if necessary. The Battle Group received an alert, marshalled and deployed to a scenario objective, employing the Battle Group’s reconnaissance, anti-aircraft and infantry assets.
“Being a part of this multinational Battle Group is an amazing opportunity,” said Romanian Land Forces Maj. Mircea Zemtev, commander of Sky Guardians. “Day by day we learn how to train better with our allies.”
“Our purpose is to respond rapidly to any crisis. That takes constant practice. They’re excellent at what they do. I look forward to doing these exercises to get faster, and stronger together,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Craig Broyles, commander of U.S.-led enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland.
NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Poland established in 2017 is a multinational Battlegroup comprised of units from four nations: Croatia, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Collective defense remains the alliance’s greatest responsibility and deterrence is a core element of NATO’s overall strategy. This is NATO’s effort to create a harmonious, collective group with incredible resolve and flexibility to react to any sort of aggression on a partner nation. Romania, Croatia and Britain have been very crucial to the mission.
Their mission is to contribute to and strengthen the NATO Alliance’s deterrence and defensive posture in Poland. They operate in concert with the host nation’s 15th Mechanized Brigade headquartered in Giżycko, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. As part of their mission, Battlegroup Poland is continuously executing training exercises to enhance their readiness and ability to operate as a multinational, combat-ready force. This training is accomplished through the joint efforts of the multinational staff at Battlegroup Headquarters in conjunction with the 15th Mechanized Brigade.
