17 NATO allies concluded Silver Arrow 2022 exercise in Latvia

Europe, News, US October 2, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

17 NATO Allies concluded a multinational military exercise Silver Arrow 2022 in the Camp Adazi training area in Latvia. Around 4,200 troops participated in exercises from September 19 to 30 to enhance military readiness and interoperability.

Commander of the Ground Forces Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Sandris Gauger said “The aim of the military exercise “Silver Arrow 2022″ is to improve mutual cooperation between the armed forces of NATO countries, to integrate elements of combat support and combat support for the support of maneuver units, to plan and execute offensive and defensive operations.”

Silver Arrow is an annual exercise organized and led by the Latvian Land Forces MECH BDE (Mechanized Infantry Brigade). NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Latvia took part in the exercise as part of Latvia’s Mechanised Infantry Brigade.

According to the NATO official statement, the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) M142 were also deployed to demonstrate their ability to deploy rapidly in the defense of the Alliance. “The US Army regularly deploys the system to the Baltics to train alongside NATO Allies. Should a crisis occur, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (US SOCEUR) will be able to rush HIMARS launchers nearly anywhere in Europe on short notice,” the statement highlighted.

The HIMARS systems were flown to Rīga and Liepāja airfields in Latvia with C-130 aircraft. “During the live-fire exercise, they [HIMARS] were used to shoot rockets on a target in the Baltic Sea waters of Latvia’s exclusive economic zone,” the NATO release read.

*^{U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems M142 during the exercise. (Image Credit: NATO)}*

According to the representative of the NATO battle group in Latvia, Francisko Pazo, “The combat demonstrations went very well, we trained for them from the very beginning of the rotation. We are very proud of what we have done, it is not easy – representatives of many countries work together.”

Pazo described “language” as the biggest barrier during the exercise, however, the language challenge did not stop the troops from different countries to work together. Pazo emphasized that “in general the English language skills of the NATO battlegroup in Latvia are good enough.”

The Silver Arrow 2022 exercise involved the United States, the UK, Canada, Germany, Frace, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Recently, NATO has paced efforts to strengthen deterrence and forward defense capabilities, particularly on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance.