Troops from NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Slovakia have participated in an exercise aimed at defending the country from attack.
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Soldiers from Czechia, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States participated in SLOVAK SHIELD, an annual exercise that focuses on integrating the firepower and capabilities of Allied forces in a collective defence scenario. Mechanised infantry, helicopters and ground troops worked together over the course of two weeks, sharing tactics while streamlining communications. Led by Czechia, the battlegroup includes troops from Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO decided to establish four new multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, while upgrading other battlegroups into brigade-sized formations. These actions significantly bolster NATO’s ability to deter and defend against any aggression in the eastern part of the Alliance.
SLOVAK SHIELD 2023 ran from 12 to 24 March; this NATO Multimedia video was filmed on 19 March and released at the end of the exercise.
Shot list:-
- 00:00 ~ Czech soldiers from the 71st Mechanised Battalion manoeuvring on foot through woodland
- 00:27 ~ Two US Army CH-47F Chinook helicopters fly over training area during Exercise SLOVAK SHIELD 2023
- 00:53 ~ Slovak Air Force UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter
- 01:34 ~ Slovenian Patria vehicles firing
- 01:55 ~ Slovak Joint Terminal Attack Controller running
- 02:10 ~ Czech Pandur II vehicles on the move during SLOVAK SHIELD 2023
- 02:27 ~ Czech soldier
- 02:32 ~ German Boxer APC vehicles on the move during SLOVAK SHIELD 2023
- 02:39 ~ Czech soldier
- 02:55 ~ Slovak soldiers inside the SLOVAK SHIELD main command post
- 03:11 ~ soundbite – Czech Army Lieutenant Colonel Jiří Staněk, Commander, Multinational Battalion of NATO’s Multinational Battlegroup In Slovakia
- 03:29 ~ soundbite – Major General Ivan Pach, Commander Land Forces Command, Slovak Armed Forces
- 03:45 ~ soundbite – Major General Ivan Pach
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