“This exercise took place under an intervention scenario under Article 5 [do Tratado do Atlântico Norte] and how we would coordinate with our allies the relocation and projection of a force capable of communicating, acting, defending and interrupting the adversary’s operations,” said Lusa, Secretary of State for National Defense, Marco Capitão Ferreira , present at the live fire exercise this Thursday at the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, Santarém district, gathered military troops from four NATO countries together with North American observers.
The scenario used in this exercise “was based on the most recent and realistic NATO scenario, based on current and future Allied operations”, in a situation of “defense of an invasion-threatened location, followed by enemy blockade and counter-attack” , after testing its “ability to dominate the skies, terrestrial and cyberspacean official army source told Lusa, as part of an exercise targeting the ground component, but which also included two Portuguese Air Force F16s.
“These exercises always play an irreplaceable role in ensuring that training will be demonstrated in a collaborative manner, in an international exercise, as the case may be, with diversified equipment and ammunition, and it is a golden opportunity to explore the possibilities on the ground. to fulfill commitments, both within the scope of the European Union and NATO,” emphasized Marco Capitão Ferreira, after making sure he left “more rested” after the exercise.
“As a civilian and European, I go home more relaxed, the military’s ability to respond is huge, and we’ve just seen it, and our ability to integrate with the Allies is huge,” he said, pointing out that this was the “new normal: we train together and have joint responsibilities in the security and defense of Europe and within NATO”.
Training interoperability between military personnel from different countries in offensive and defensive tactical operations, and in deceleration and reconnaissance operations, in the context of planning, coordination and execution for NATO Article 5 missions were some of the objectives of Orion 23, which culminated today in a multinational exercise involving live fire from 132 armored vehicles and fire from tanks and heavy machine gunsin a “volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and urban environment, within a high-intensity collaborative environment, in accordance with NATO criteria”.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which binds the parties concerned, reads that “An armed attack against any one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be regarded as an attack against all, and shall accordingly agree in what should such an armed attack occur, each of them, in exercising the right of self-defence, individually or collectively, recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, shall assist the Party or Parties so attacked by exercising without postponing, individually and in agreement with the other Parties, such measures as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and ensure security in the North Atlantic area”.
Attending the exercise, which will involve 1,209 soldiers and 319 vehicles on Portuguese territory until Friday, the Chief of Staff of the Army (CEME), General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão, told Lusa that the exercise “aims to improve the interoperability and the components of the army. training for higher conflict situations”, and that the scenario created “replicates the possibility of an offensive action” that NATO forces must “stop in order to restore the integrity of that area”, emphasizing the importance of “knowing how to work together to fight”.
According to General CEME, who recalled that this was “the largest annual exercise of the Portuguese army”, Orion 23 also served to “prepare a commitment that Portugal will take on in 2025, which is a command of the European battlegroup” , which can be defined as a battalion-level unit with enhanced capabilities to operate autonomously and sustainably. The last day of the Orion 23’s execution phase was dedicated to the execution of live fires, the purpose of which was the synchronization of fire, the movement and tactical maneuver of the ground forces, in an exercise characterized by its combined matrix and with the multiple capabilities and valences of the Portuguese army trained together with soldiers from armies of allied countries, namely Spain, France and Romania, and with the presence of North American observers.
Source: DN
