In the impenetrable darkness, the lights of the C-146A Wolfhound twin-engine plane illuminated a small strip of asphalt, and from the darkness the special forces plane landed with a noisy, dramatic landing.
With a landing area only six meters wide, there was no room for error for the pilots.
A special forces unit has blocked a two-lane highway in rural Latvia, about two hours from the capital Riga, and turned it into a makeshift runway for a simulated wounded soldier. British, American and Latvian soldiers were part of an exercise aimed at improving medical procedures on the battlefield to treat victims.
WATCH NATO Special Forces conduct training exercises in Eastern Europe:
NATO Special Forces are conducting exercises in Eastern Europe
In the shadow of the battle for Ukraine, NATO special forces are conducting training exercises in Eastern Europe, improving the ability of member states to work in tandem against a common enemy.
In this scenario, it was assumed that the shelling and lack of superiority in the air made it impossible to evacuate immediately by helicopter, so the “patient” had to be cared for in the field and taken to the safest landing site for several hours.
The exercise was one of three carried out by teams from NATO special forces that CBC News was invited to observe last week. In addition to the air evacuation scenario in Latvia, CBC News also boarded a Romanian ship in the Black Sea to witness special forces board a ship from the water and board a ship by helicopter.
In Lithuania, another exercise involved storming a building occupied by hostile forces.
That’s why we train
The exercise was part of the Trojan Footprint, an exercise from 30 countries involving more than 3,300 special and conventional forces, which ended this weekend.
It was created to test what NATO calls “interoperability” between the various national special forces teams.
Lithuanian, American, Finnish and British special forces are preparing to storm a building as part of training exercises in Lithuania. (Chris Brown / CBC News)
The exercises come as the military alliance faces one of its biggest challenges in 73 years in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, Finland said it would formally apply to join NATO, with Sweden expected to follow next week.
The Canadian Special Forces did not take part in the Trojan Footprint exercise, but the commander of the Romanian Special Forces Task Force said all NATO countries were acting effectively as one team.
“It’s not about the war that’s going on, [in Ukraine] it’s about being prepared all the time защо that’s why we train and why we focus on having a high level of interoperability, “said the commander, who cannot be identified.
NATO “strengthens its presence in the East”
Although the exercises were planned before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, they have become more urgent and visible.
“There are a lot of exercises right now, and NATO is really pushing for them to increase their presence in the East, as well as their capabilities as a maximum deterrent to Russia,” said Ed Arnold, a European Security Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
Several rigid inflatable boats (RIBS) are approaching a Romanian warship in the Black Sea as part of a NATO special forces exercise this week. (Chris Brown / CBC News)
The special forces are among the most qualified – and secretive – soldiers in NATO’s army. All interviews with SOF (Special Operations Forces) staff had to be conducted anonymously, with private faces and covert broadcasting votes.
They perform a wide variety of tasks, including intelligence gathering and intelligence, although for public figures of snipers or highly trained professionals, helicopter descent is often what comes to mind.
Arnold says most of the recent deployments of special forces from countries such as Britain and the United States have been in conflict zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, where their skills have focused on fighting insurgents or attacking elements of ISIS or al Qaeda.
A member of the Romanian Special Forces holds a position on board a naval ship as part of an exercise in the Black Sea. (Chris Brown / CBC News)
However, Russia’s war in Ukraine involves a different type of battlefield, including tanks, heavy artillery and air strikes, and NATO is trying to demonstrate to Russia that its special forces are capable of making a point.
“[These exercises] it will show Russia that they are turning to the Russian threat, “said Arnold, whose military career included serving in the British Army in Afghanistan.
“Our strength is built by people who are willing to sacrifice”
As NATO countries, including Canada, pour weapons, ammunition and money into Ukraine, the military alliance has indicated that its troops will not be directly involved in the conflict.
However, NATO’s presence was highly visible on the sidelines of the conflict, including in Romania, which shares a land and sea border with Ukraine.
The ship-loading exercise took place in the waters off the port of Constanta, about 150km from Ukraine’s Snake Island, one of the most contested parts of the war.
Russian troops occupied it in the days immediately following the invasion, but Ukraine responded by sinking the warship Moscow in April and has since carried out frequent drone attacks on the Russian garrison there.
Polish helicopters take part in NATO exercises in Lithuania. (Chris Brown / CBC News)
“Our forces are made up of people who are willing to sacrifice,” a Latvian SOF soldier told CBC News.
“I personally have many friends in Ukraine, knowing what they are going through, we show all the support we have in our hearts and we are ready to defend when we need it.”
Let’s learn from Russian mistakes
Members of the NATO Special Forces team also told CBC News that they were closely watching their Ukrainian counterparts use their skills against the Russians and were particularly impressed by the use of small, store-bought drones to locate troops.
The drones helped detect disguised Russian positions and then aimed Ukrainian artillery strikes.
Arnold says NATO planners have also learned from Russia’s mistakes.
Members of the Lithuanian special forces are waiting in a vehicle for all terrains on the side during a training simulation near the city of Kaunas. (Chris Brown / CBC News)
“For the first 24 to 48 hours, much of the focus was on Russian Special Forces (special forces) trying to take over Hostomel Air Base (near Kyiv). In essence, they were able to take over the airport fairly quickly, but they were not reinforced. “
“So the main lesson for NATO forces is that special operations can perform a wide variety of tasks, but if they are isolated and not supported by conventional forces, they are actually quite vulnerable,” Arnold said.
The victims must be treated in the field
The exercise, which involved a Wolfhound landing on the highway, was also taken in part from Ukraine’s experience, said one of the special forces doctors involved in the planning.
“I’m impressed – their ability to create a system of trauma in motion from an unexpected invasion is quite remarkable,” said the American.
In Ukraine, the lack of air cover means that victims have to be treated on the spot and then usually drive long distances to get to a hospital or a place where it is safe to do air transport.
Latvian training involved the use of a robotic mannequin that could simulate battlefield injuries. He also blinks, bleeds and urinates. (Jean-François Bison / CBC News)
This put the Latvian doctrine to the test.
“In special operations medicine, one of our roles is to innovate,” he said.
The realism of the exercise was also aided by the use of a robotic patient that could be programmed to simulate specific wounds that medical personnel need to treat. The mannequin blinks, breathes, bleeds and has other life qualities that contribute to the urgency faced by medical staff.
“Ukraine and everything that is happening there is a threat,” said the commander of the Romanian task force. “Even if we are not involved in this conflict, we see them as lessons learned.”
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