From 29th to 31st October the Initial Planning Conference took place at the Baltic Barracks.
The Initial Planning Conference was organized in order to synchronize all events, scenarios development and training activities on the way to the Corps’ major exercise, which is Crystal Eagle 08, scheduled for September next year. Seventy participants from the Corps, but also delegates from our framework and participating nations and other headquarters, gathered to share ideas concerning the upcoming exercise. The participants were divided into three sub-working groups, so-called syndicates, the first one having been concerned with the exercise control, the second with the scenario and the last with real life support CIS.
The leader of the first working group and a deputy to ACOS G3, who is the head of the Core Planning Team, LtCol L. Rademacher explained that due to the earlier deployment of the MNC NE staff to Afghanistan, the preparations to Crystal Eagle 06 were abandoned last year. When the mission was completed in August 2007, it was possible to resume the process of preparations for the next Crystal Eagle.
During Crystal Eagle 08 the scenario of Peace Support Operations will be applied. Even though the lessons learned from the Afghan mission are to be applicable, the scenario of the exercise will be a generic one, which means that it will not replicate the situation in Afghanistan. All functional areas of the staff HQ MNC NE will be involved in the exercise, however, the main focus will be placed the training audience, namely the 1st Estonian Brigade, the 7th Polish Brigade and the 37th German Brigade, who will also have the possibility to train themselves.
