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The exercise Cool Gasket, which took place from 25th to 28th February 2008 at the Baltic Barracks, constituted the next step towards the exercise Crystal Eagle, planned for September 2008.
Preparing for CRYSTAL EAGLE
The command post exercise Crystal Eagle is the main training task of the Corps for the year 2008 and a part of a three-year training cycle of the Multinational Corps Northeast. According to this plan the MNC NE is to train nominated formations provided by the Framework (Denmark, Germany, Poland) and Participating States (remaining nations of the Corps). This time the following formations are going to be trained: Estonian 1st Brigade, German 37th Brigade, Latvian Brigade and Polish 7th Brigade.
The aim of Crystal Eagle is to train planning, preparing, executing, commanding and evaluating joint and combined Peace Support Operations Crisis Response, Post Conflict or even High Intensity Warfare at a particular level. The main focus will be placed on procedures and decision-making processes. The exercise will assume a form of a complex computer simulation based on a given scenario.
The process of preparations towards Crystal Eagle requires a lot of effort. Two reconnaissance teams already visited the Army Warfighting Simulation Centre (AWSC) in Wildflecken, Germany, where the exercise will take place. Additionally, Initial and Main Planning Conferences clarified numerous arrangements and details, too.
However, the involvement of troops that will be trained during Crystal Eagle is essential. Therefore, the exercise Cool Gasket was so important. It provided opportunities for soldiers of the assigned formations and the MNC NE personnel to meet for the first time and also to learn about structures and capabilities of the Land Component Command (in this case our Headquarters) and Brigades.
COOL GASKET
"Cool Gasket was a great success" – with these words the exercise director Col K. Finck assessed the exercise. The term "exercise" may be slightly misleading since during Cool Gasket there were no tanks, no dust, no soldiers carrying weapons. Cool Gasket was an Operational Study Period, where most of the work was done on the computer screens.
Approximately 150 servicemen from 37th German Brigade, 1st Estonian, Latvian Brigade and 7th Polish Brigade as well as Staff members of Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast gathered at the Baltic Barracks to take part in Cool Gasket. In this "narrow" circle, as in Crystal Eagle there will be about 1500 participants, four Brigades being the training audience prepared for planning, organising and conducting Peace Support Operations. There was a real life scenario established with a fictional country Auriga based on Spain and reflecting what is actually going on in Afghanistan. All Brigades received the Land Component Command Order, which was prepared by the HQ MNC NE to start their operational planning process. Afterwards, they briefed the Commander of Land Component Command, in this case the HQ MNC NE Commander, on the initial results of their mission analysis.
