North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations
September 26, 2014
RAPID TRIDENT 2014 COMES TO A CLOSE
The Ukrainian-led joint exercise Rapid Trident concluded its battalion-level field training exercise in western Ukraine on Thursday, 25 September. For four days and in any direction within the 360-kilometer training range at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre near Yavoriv, Ukraine, sounds of simulated improvised explosive devices (IED), armoured vehicle convoys and small-arm firing filled the air.
After Rapid Trident 2014 (RT14) began with a week of simulated training and command post exercises focusing on countering IEDs, convoy operations and patrolling, the field-training portion put their communication, tactical, and operational skills to the test.
Within the exercise scenario, the simulated country ‘Fogland’ crossed the border into simulated-country ‘Yazirland’ in an effort to aid the ethnic ‘Foglanders’ within ‘Yazirland’ and to disrupt the stability in the region. A simulated UN-mandated multinational taskforce deployed in order to identify the destabilizing actors, develop an intelligence picture and to restore the border province within ‘Yazirland.’
Rapid Trident made huge strides this year, said James Ellingwood, RT14 simulation cell deputy chief and U.S. Army Europe counter-IED training program manager. “We’re pushing a multinational staff to actually maneouver multinational companies without scripting, and we have Ukrainian officers in most of the key positions on the staff; it’s great. I don’t think Rapid Trident is ever going to be the same.”
The training between more than 1,200 military personnel from 15 nations marked the first major exercise in the country since tensions with Russia spilled over earlier this year. The exercise was originally scheduled to take place in July but was pushed back because early planning was disrupted by the crisis in the eastern part of the country.
While the U.S. European Command scheduled exercise involves many NATO members as well as countries such as Ukraine, who are part of NATO’s broader “Partnership for Peace,” the exercise is not formally a NATO drill. Ukraine doesn’t enjoy the collective security guarantee that comes with Alliance membership: the NATO principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. But training partnerships with the U.S. and other allies help prepare Ukrainian troops for the fight in the east, Ukrainian officers said.
Rapid Trident is an annual exercise and was planned well before the current situation in Ukraine. The last Rapid Trident exercise was held in July 2013.
Story by U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Josh Keim, SHAPE Public Affairs Office
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