Combat Ready

The two infantry battle groups form a main pillar of Hungary’s commitments in NATO. The first of these (the one drawn from the 5/62 infantry battalion) was declared “Combat Ready" again in last autumn. This year, the time has come for the personnel of the 39th battalion to defend their “combat ready" status they were granted three years ago, and they have done so with success too.

Preparations for the exercise started in last November at the “Vay Ádám" Training Base in Hajdúhadház. Until the start of their transfer to the Bakony Hills in early April, the personnel from the 39th battalion successfully generated cohesion on subunit level and executed all the prerequisite individual target practices and force-level live fire exercises. They have integrated the CIMIC, SAM, engineer and CBRN modules into the IBG structure, and standardized the operating procedures.

The training bases of the HDF Bakony Combat Training Centre (HDF BCTC) are located in the Hajmáskér–Veszprém–Újdörögd region. Here, the first three weeks were taken up by trade training and higher-level training sessions. Another set of exercises were “strung" on the training sessions of the 39th battalion – a total of 1,500 troops and hundreds of items of military equipment were involved in this year’s largest training event of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The 24th “Bornemissza Gergely" Reconnaissance Battalion held an MOS training session called “Covert Foray" and the combat support elements of the brigade an LFX called “Bocskai’s Fire". An experimental project “Infantry course" of the “Warrior-program", which is aimed at renewing the training system of the Hungarian Defence Forces, also took place concurrent with the exercise.

As a result of the international cooperation in recent years, a number of French guests attended the exercise of the reconnaissance troops. A dozen of foreign paratroopers participated in the several-day training programs of the combat reconnaissance and the long-range reconnaissance units, and they made joint parachute jumps and conducted door gunner training by helicopters together. After more than ten years, the reconnaissance troops’ exercise also involved a high-terrain target practice for Hungarian soldiers, held again on a Hungarian hillside range. The firing lanes of the ad-hoc range were furnished with the use of mobile range equipment on the slopes of the Mórocz-hilltop.

Besides the companies of the 39th battalion, the maneuver company of the 3rd “Bercsényi Miklós" Infantry Battalion carried out live fire tactical training (LFTT). One company of the 39th battalion performed a successful LIVEX element of its capability test procedure in the form of a night live firing exercise, which made a spectacular sight for the VIP guests, including Minister of Defence Csaba Hende. This maneuver company of the 5/3 infantry battalion held a Hungarian–Serb platoon-level cross training program too, during which the Serb and Hungarian soldiers were exercising together in “Ruin City", Újdörögd.

Still, the real high point was the CREVAL of the 39th battalion. The IBG had to meet more than 1,300 Performance Measures (PMs) to be checked in five areas. The complex live fire tactical training (LFTT), the second phase of the CREVAL, was named “Fearless Warrior", and lasted for nearly three days. The incidents characterizing conventional and asymmetric warfare were amalgamated during the field practice. The Main Incident List (MIL) was drawn up with help from the directorates of the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) in a way that facilitated measurement of the compulsory PMs. The proper and consistent activity of the large evaluator team from the HDF JFC was supervised by two senior officers delegated by NATO.

At the end of the CREVAL procedure, the head of the evaluator team pointed out that the exercise presented the executing personnel with a task that was even more complex and difficult than those on previous years’ similar exercises held in Hungary. They had to demonstrate their interoperability capability both in combined and joint operations, while carrying out active maneuvering. Yet, they have been evaluated with “satisfactory" and “excellent" ratings in all five areas, which means they have made progress as compared with the CREVALS conducted in previous years.

By the exercise specifications, an LFX phase was not a necessary element in the exercise schedule. However, the planning staff inserted a live fire exercise which “set the whole battalion in motion", involving all three fighting companies and the combat support subunits, which had an opportunity to demonstrate their combat readiness in a LIVEX phase. On request, the Gripen fighters of the air force provided close air support (CAS) to them, and the fighter pilots also seized this opportunity to conduct live-fire air gunnery. This phase, which was “secondary to" the CREVAL, was completed with a 96 per cent “excellent" rating.

Reinforced with the modules, the more than 900-strong IBG had to demonstrate its combat readiness in an area activity, in a combat-like advance interrupted by incidents, during an attack combined with a flanking maneuver, and after a partial refitting, in executing another unexpected task. Had the combat support (CS), combat service support (CSS), the CIS, the logistic and the medical elements not done their best, the combat troops could not have executed their tasks successfully. Reinforced with officers from the modules, the IBG headquarters was operating “non-stop" to exercise command and control of the activities which were quite extended in space and time. The brigade staff’s growing expertise in planning and directing exercises also contributed to the success of the CREVAL.

Three hours after the order signaling the end of exercise “Fearless Warrior" was issued, the loading of the first “troop train" started at the Hajmáskér train station. Having returned to their garrisons, the personnel of the 39th battalion will start in a week their pre-deployment training for the missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan.