On 12-16 July, the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Estonia conducted exercise Dragon Hunt. Carried out in the Estonian woodlands near Tapa, the training exercise honed NATO soldiers’ camouflage and reconnaissance (recce) skills. Dragon Hunt was designed to test camouflage and reconnaissance techniques. The Estonian environment offers unique training opportunities, including those related to fighting in woods and forests. The eFP Battlegroup regularly trains alongside their Allies in the 1st Eesti Kaitsevägi Infantry Brigade.
The training enhanced NATO soldiers’ camouflage and reconnaissance skills in the forest. Hunter forces used electromagnetic capabilities to locate enemy positions, enabling them to conduct recces in preparation for future attacks. When combined with traditional soldiering skills, such technologies enable commanders to take advantage of opportunities more quickly when they arise on the battlefield. The Dragon Hunt participants used a range of capabilities and means, such as drones and electromagnetic surveillance, to find camouflaged enemy positions.
It enabled them to conduct recces in preparation for future attacks. Combined with traditional soldiering skills, these technologies make it possible for commanders to take advantage of opportunities more quickly when they arise on the battlefield. The eFP Battlegroup’s British, Danish and French soldiers were reinforced by the Royal Air Force (RAF) 27th Support Helicopter Squadron equipped with Chinook helicopters. The Chinooks (CH-47) inserted the eFP recce who identified the targets and passed them off to the Javelin platoon for a night strike.
Since 2017, Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast has been actively engaged in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) built upon four multinational Battle Groups stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The enhanced Forward Presence troops have been integrated into their host nations’ brigades to ensure maximum cohesion between Allied forces. Each of the battle groups consists of about 1000 soldiers and is led by its assigned framework nation – the United States in Poland, the United Kingdom in Estonia, Canada in Latvia, and Germany in Lithuania.
