From 22 to 27 May 2011, around 80% of the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) deployed to Prenzlau to take part in the exercise Bold Eagle 2011.
Green Compact comes first
In a week preceding the exercise Bold Eagle 11, Command Support Brigade (CSB) along with its subordinate German and Polish Battalions, conducted the exercise Compact Green, the aim of which was to prepare the command post, the working places along with the necessary equipment, communications and the overall infrastructure for the upcoming Corps exercise as well as accommodation and messing. Naturally, the 610th Signal Battalion of CBS for which the Uckermark Barracks are a permanent location, it had some additional tasks as the Host Nation.
The exercise ended up with all working places well prepared and equipped with established communications lines and networks, and a smooth transition into the Bold Eagle exercise, during which the CSB’s role was to maintain the established command post and manage all aspects of real life support offered to the exercise participants.
Bold Eagle 11
Already on Sunday, 22 May 2011, the whole staff of MNC NE arrived in German Prenzlau to check on their working positions and get ready for the work. The ice-breaker organised in the evening helped to integrate people from MNC NE and CSB and battalions, and was an excellent opportunity for newcomers to get deeper into the MNC NE family.
From the early Monday morning, following a detailed scenario with a number of incidents and injections triggering the planning processes of a peace support operation in a fictitious country Auriga engulfed with a crisis, the whole MNC NE personnel as part of Aurigan Force (AUFOR) II, started their work in three cross functional areas: Future Operations, Future Plans and Information Dominance Centre.
The main idea of the exercise was to test the efficiency and possibilities of Cross Functional Teams (CFT) which in principle consist of members of different branches. As proved during the recent mission of the MNC NE personnel in Afghanistan in 2010, such solution used at the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) proved to be really effectivel. Whether it is possible to employ a similar organisation of work in the Corps, the MNC NE Commander decided to carry out an experiment and use the Bold Eagle exercise as a test bed for this concept. This way, when compared to the Little Eagle 1 exercise conducted in a traditional frame just two months before, the MNC NE Commander is going to decide which structure is more suitable for the Corps. “Bold Eagle is a battle staff training to train our Standing Operating Instructions and Standing Operating Procedures to improve ourselves in close cooperation and team working, integrate newcomers and to improve our skills to work on a very common well known exercise scenario. And do not forget Szafran with some applications and improvements we have to test within a good framework prepared in this exercise,” the MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Rainer Korff listed basic objectives for the exercise.
Supporting the government and population of Auriga after a serious earthquake in the region, supporting projects promoting good governance and development of the country, ensuring a safe environment in so-called key terrain districts, assisting the Aurigan National Security Forces in their development as well as planning deployment of additional forces in the area of operation are only examples of topics the MNC NE staff had to deal with. In fact, they correspond to military task performed in peace support operations, like in Afghanistan; therefore, the exercise was an excellent opportunity to use the Corps’ experiences from the ISAF mission in 2010.
The Bold Eagle exercise was the subject of considerable interest. The Commander of the13th Armoured Infantry Division MajGen Achim Lidsba, visited the exercise site on 25 May 2011. “I am delighted to see how Polish and German colleagues are cooperating together, very closely, in friendship,” General said adding he was especially interested in the set-up of the exercise prepared by his subordinates from the 610th Signal Battalion, together with the Polish colleagues from the Command Support Brigade and the battalions. The exercise also visited the Mayor of Prenzlau, Mr Henrik Sommer, the District Administrator of Uckermark, Mr Dietmar Schulze and Chairman of Town Representatives Meeting, Mr Jürgen Hoppe.
Way ahead
Even though it is too early to decide which organizational model proves to be more efficient for the Corps, the MNC NE personnel had an excellent opportunity to train themselves in both of them. “People are getting a clear picture what the pros and cons of CFT vs. the old system are,” said the MNC NE Chief of Staff Brigadier General Morten Danielsson, acting as the Exercise Director. As soon as the detailed evaluation is conducted, the MNC NE Commander will decide which organizational model will be employed by MNC NE. For sure, the chosen structure will ensure the best possible realization of all tasks given to the Corps. In the meantime, with the Bold Eagle having been completed, all MNC NE members feel that not only did they contribute to an exercise deciding upon the Corps’ future, but they also gathered valuable experiences and took another step in the preparations for the biggest training event of the Corps in 2012 – the Crystal Eagle exercise.
