Defense wants to train soldiers more in the long run. That is why the calendar for this year has been adjusted. The soldiers are longer from home and the time between the exercises is also becoming shorter. Following the 13 Light Brigade in Oirschot, this is now also done at the 43 Mechanized Brigade in Havelte. For an exercise abroad for which two weeks are normally set out, the soldiers are now more than four weeks away from home.
“With an actual effort where it is about defending our own and ally territory, you are probably not there in three weeks,” says Brigadier General Nico Boom. Tree speaks of so -called warfighting In other words, war preparation for which the proceedings have been made. Now that the threat in the world has increased, soldiers must be prepared for everything. So also on being longer from home.
According to Boom, it is a mental cover. “If you have a vision that you are going to have a heavy exercise for one or two days, you can place it much better mentally than if you do that for four or five weeks, for example. With everything that goes with it.” This also includes, for example, the telephone use that is limited if soldiers are on exercise.
For the soldier, that has an impact on his or her private life. Sergeant Major Oscar also notices that, whom we only mention with his first name because of his safety. “It is two -fold: for ourselves it is more work, but they also have to do more work at home,” he explains.
He continues: “The home front sometimes finds it difficult. Especially if you have a family with children. They have to keep it all going. For us a lot of things are arranged, but at home they have to solve it all themselves.”
The 43 Mechanized Brigade is leaving for the Czech Republic for the exercise this time. In total, around five hundred vehicles are on the road. Transport is done in two groups: one group goes by rail. This includes as many heavy vehicles as possible. The other group goes by land and by boat, because there is a large one right across the border in Germany rivercrossing planned. About 150 to 200 vehicles are dragged over the Rhine by ferry.
“An extremely complex exercise,” says Boom. “If we go back to the beginning of the Ukraine war, the Russians have put a lot of effort into getting over a large river. The vulnerability and the concentration of resources is so great that you have to prepare that incredibly well.” Not for nothing that extra attention is paid to that.
After the photo, read more about how they practice: