NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Hungary tested its combat capabilities alongside the Hungarian Defence Forces during Exercise ADAPTIVE HUSSARS 23.
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NATO’s newest multinational battlegroup in Hungary took part in Exercise ADAPTIVE HUSSARS, ensuring its readiness to deter aggression and defend Europe’s eastern flank.
During the exercise, troops from Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Türkiye practised the rapid deployment of mechanised forces across difficult terrain. Hungarian combat engineers erected a pontoon bridge across the Tisza River, allowing Armoured Personnel Carriers and other vehicles to quickly cross and move towards their objectives. These ‘wet gap crossings’ are complicated and labour intensive, yet essential for NATO’s forces to remain mobile, agile and capable of rapidly responding to crises.
ADAPTIVE HUSSARS was the largest military exercise in Hungary for 30 years, with over 5000 troops involved. For the Hungary-led battlegroup – one of four new formations established in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – ADAPTIVE HUSSARS marked the greatest challenge yet. As NATO’s newest multinational battlegroup, this exercise was a crucial test of its capabilities and readiness.
This NATO Multimedia footage, filmed 13 November and released yesterday, includes a wet gap crossing operation (construction, defence, crossings), footage of Italian paratroopers performing a live fire exercise, and soundbites from battlegroup captains and a commander.
Shot list:-
- 00:00 ~ Hungarian engineers construct bridge for wet gap crossing near Tiszaroff, Hungary
- 00:10 ~ Hungarian engineers prepare to connect bridge pontoons
- 00:20 ~ Hungarian engineers connect bridge pontoons
- 00:27 ~ Hungarian engineers connect bridge pontoons
- 00:37 ~ Full construction of the bridge
- 00:46 ~ Wide shots of the completed bridge
- 01:03 ~ Hungarian engineers briefed for first vehicle to cross the bridge
- 01:17 ~ Hungarian engineers guard the bridge
- 01:22 ~ Hungarian engineers guard the bridge
- 01:48 ~ First military vehicle crosses the bridge
- 01:58 ~ Further military vehicles crossing the bridge
- 02:04 ~ Armoured personnel carriers and other military vehicles cross the bridge
- 02:28 ~ Hungarian troops leave the bridge and patrol the area
- 02:57 ~ Helicopter performs low pass over bridge
- 03:05 ~ Helicopter performs low pass over bridge
- 03:19 ~ Italian infantry enter trench to prepare for a platoon level live fire exercise at the Hajdúhadháza military training area, Hungary
- 03:32 ~ Italian infantry in trench, ready for live fire exercise
- 03:42 ~ Italian infantry in trench to prepare for exercise
- 03:53 ~ Italian troops jump out of trenches and commence exercise
- 04:09 ~ Italian soldier gestures for comrades to take cover and prepare for further advance
- 04:17 ~ Light machine gunner knocks down pop-up targets
- 04:24 ~ Italian troops fire live ammunition during platoon level live fire exercise
- 04:42 ~ Italian light machine gunners advance further towards the objective, covered by suppressing fire
- 04:59 ~ Italian soldiers continue advance towards objective
- 05:12 ~ Soundbite (Hungarian) ~ Lieutenant Colonel Zsolt Jakob, Commander, NATO Multinational Battlegroup Hungary: “This battalion combat team started operating in Hungary in September last year. It was a close cooperation between Italy, Croatia, Türkiye and Hungary with the aim of demonstrating our strength and interoperability capabilities through joint training and joint activities.”
- 05:41 ~ Soundbite (Hungarian) ~ Lieutenant Colonel Zsolt Jakob: “We are conducting joint training through the exercises of this battalion combat team framework so that we can get to know each other’s combat capabilities, each other’s combat procedures, and we can show as much as possible through joint training and activities the interconnectedness, the strength that is practically the essence of the whole so-called combat team. And that is to demonstrate our activities in high visibility training sessions.”
- 06:22 ~ Soundbite (Hungarian) ~ Lieutenant Colonel Zsolt Jakob: “In my opinion, since there is a war going on in our neighbourhood at the moment, it is absolutely necessary for the Hungarian Defence Forces, which is currently undergoing development and improvement, to use these joint forces to show that Hungary is prepared to defend itself and the sovereignty of the country in the event of any kind of threat.”
- 06:52 ~Soundbite (Hungarian) ~ Captain David Shultz, NATO Multinational Battlegroup Hungary: “I think it’s very important that we have the international forces here, we can work together, we can cooperate and we can be prepared, if necessary, to defend Hungary and NATO’s eastern border together.”
- 07:04 ~ Soundbite (English) ~ Italian Captain Tomaso Galerati, Paratroopers Rifle Platoon
- 07:14 ~ Soundbite (English) ~ Italian Captain Tomaso Galerati
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