About 2,000 U.S. personnel and 2,000 multinational participants are expected to take part. They will work through a simulated conflict involving more than 2.2 million friendly and opposing forces, a figure that represents the scenario rather than personnel deployed for the exercise.
The training will connect geographically separated command posts through a digital network. U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO’s Allied Land Command will operate as an integrated headquarters while testing regional defense plans and the speed of their decisions.
“By integrating our headquarters with LANDCOM, we are forging a faster, more resilient, and more lethal command structure,” said German Army Maj. Gen. Bjorn Schulz, the exercise director. The participating formations include the U.S. Army’s V Corps, Poland’s 2nd Corps, France’s 1st Corps and the 1st German-Netherlands Corps.
“These exercises strengthen our ability to operate together, refine the plans and processes required for a rapid and synchronized response, and demonstrate our collective readiness to defend Allied territory,” said Lt. Gen. Jez Bennett, acting commander of Allied Land Command. The Army said the two exercises will put NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative concepts into practice.
