From 13 to 17 February 2012, Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) conducted Little Eagle 2012 exercise in Wałcz, the aim of which was to prepare the staff for this year’s biggest training event – Crystal Eagle 2012.
3 months are left until the Crystal Eagle will finally stretch its wings. More than 1300 participants are planned to take part in the Crystal Eagle exercise in Nymindegab, Denmark, in May. Beyond HQ MNC NE and Command Support Brigade regular staff members, also reservists, crisis establishment personnel as well as representatives of brigades from Denmark, Poland, Germany and USA and other units that will train in Denmark will participate in the exercise in Denmark. About 500 of them arrived in Wałcz to take part in Little Eagle 2012.
Little Eagle 2012, fully conducted outside Baltic Barracks, was the last major test before relocation to the exercise area in Nymindegab. It was an exam for HQ MNC NE members in their role as a higher command they will play during Crystal Eagle 2012. What was on the checklist? The exercise structure, procedures, information management and proper way of reporting and reacting to respective situations. The exercise scenario was being refined and the exercise participants were preparing for their roles. All this is extremely important to ensure efficient organization and pace of May exercise so that the assigned units could get the exact amount of training as they had requested.
Since Crystal Eagle will be conducted in Denmark, it will obviously be a huge logistic challenge to relocate the staff and equipment to and back from there. For that reason, Little Eagle was such an important test for Command Support Brigade and its subordinated units – Polish 100 Signal Battalion, 104 Support Battalion and German 610 Signal Battalion, which – as usual – will be responsible for that. The exercise in Wałcz required a varied range of support to be provided by CSB. This included setting up and running communication and information systems, command and control information systems as well as providing accommodation, messing, transport, medical support and many others.
The exercise assumed a form of individual and group functional area training which culminated in battle staff training. Selected parts of the Crystal Eagle scenario were used in order to provide injects steering certain reactions. The whole exercise play, the created products, procedures and information flow was being observed by the evaluation team. Their observations along with suggestions made by exercise participants will form the base for necessary improvements that will be implemented in the next three months prior Crystal Eagle 2012.
Photos by: Marian Cihon, SVK CIV
Video by: SGT Maksymilian Halec, POL A
