Poland
NATO troops cross the Vistula during a military exercise
Bundeswehr soldiers (front) take part in a joint military exercise with soldiers from several NATO countries on the Vistula. photo
© Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
Soldiers from nine NATO countries practiced crossing a river together in Poland. They used amphibious vehicles to bring tanks and other equipment across the water.
In a joint military exercise in Soldiers from several NATO countries crossed the Vistula in Poland. The troops transported battle tanks, personnel carriers and other equipment across the river using amphibious bridge and ferry vehicles and high-speed floating bridges.
“We are showing what capabilities we have and we are combining that with the determination to use them,” said NATO General Gunnar Brügner in Korzeniowo. The exercise, called Dragon 24 (“Dragon”) on Poland’s longest river, took place at the site about a hundred kilometers south of Gdansk. Brügner explained that crossing a body of water is a central skill that an army needs to bring reinforcements forward.
According to the Polish armed forces, a total of 20,000 soldiers from nine NATO countries were involved, including 15,000 from Poland. The crossing of the Vistula is a test of cooperation between armed forces on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace.
The exercise is part of a major maneuver that NATO is holding to deter Russia on its eastern flank. The Steadfast Defender exercise, which lasts around four months, extends from Norway to countries such as Romania. The defense alliance has mobilized around 90,000 soldiers for this purpose.