November 23, 2022

Allies demonstrate NATO’s firepower during armoured gunnery competition in Latvia

Story by Multinational Corps Northeast Public Affairs Office

On November 14-17, NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Latvia together with the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade conducted Iron Spear 2022. Alongside the Allies based in Latvia, this regularly scheduled armoured gunnery competition saw a number of multinational crews currently deployed across the Baltic Sea region. At the Ādaži range, 34 teams from 13 Allied member states demonstrated their excellence in whatever fire mission they were given.

Held since 2018, Iron Spear is designed to improve cohesion and interoperability across the eFP Battlegroups in the Baltic States and Poland while simultaneously showcasing NATO’s firepower. In addition to the Main Battle Tank and Infantry Fighting Vehicle competitions, the event saw a daytime and a night-time firepower demonstration. All in all, the Ādaži range hosted armoured crews from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Thoughtout all its iterations, Iron Spear has strengthened NATO’s mobility, force projection and cooperation across the Baltic Sea region with a strong focus on interoperability — the cornerstone of the Alliance’s collective deterrence and defence against any adversary