IRIA News

More than 20,000 soldiers from NATO nations conducted an operational and tactical level exercise dubbed Dragon 24 in Poland. Troops from NATO allied countries participated in the artillery live-fire drills under the umbrella of the alliance’s Steadfast Defender exercise.

Dragon 24 is part of the Steadfast Defender, NATO’s largest exercise since the Cold War, About 90,000 troops from all NATO member states including Finland and Sweden are taking part in the Steadfast Defender exercise.

The Dragon 24 exercise involved 3,500 equipment units and more than 20,000 soldiers from the U.S., the UK, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkiye. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also attended and observed the exercise.

Polish President Duda said in a statement, “These are our joint exercises to strengthen the security of the entire eastern flank of NATO, not only Poland but also the Baltic States.” He added that “Poland is ready at any time to fulfill our obligations under Article 5, that is, collective defense.”

During the multi-day exercise, soldiers practiced crossing roads, bridges, and rivers to reach the Suwałki Gap, near the Poland and Lithuania border, located between Belarus and Russia‘s semi-exclave of Kaliningrad.

Ćwiczenie #Dragon24 z udziałem sił sojuszniczych dowiodło znaczenia współpracy i synergii w działaniach wojskowych.#UnitedWeStand #OneMissionOneStand #FightToWin #StrongerTogether #Dragon24 #ReadyToFightTonight pic.twitter.com/4lv8O2SgLZ

— Sztab Generalny WP (@SztabGenWP) March 24, 2024

Poland’s 11th Lubusz Armoured Cavalry Division served as the main force during the drills, while the Polish air force, navy, territorial defense soldiers, and special forces also took part in the exercise. NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup also participated in the exercise.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division took part in the Dragon 24 exercise.

The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is in Europe to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward-deployed corps in Europe.

The U.S. Army released a statement highlighting that the exercise improved “armored gunnery proficiency and artillery coordination across cultural, language and weapon system platforms.” The statement added that “Dragon 24 displayed NATO allies as being truly stronger together.”

During the drills, troops from the U.S., France, and Germany joined the Polish soldiers to cross the Omulew River near Sedrowo in Poland, with the help of logisticians and military engineers. The U.S. Army said in a statement that the drill enabled “freedom of movement for the multinational armored forces across the formidable terrain feature, ensuring the tanks making the crossing were in fighting shape on the other side.”

NATO allies also practiced the movement of troops and military equipment to the Bemowo Piskie Training Area with “proper maintenance, expert driving, prompt transportation and timely delivery of fuel,” the U.S. Army statement added.

Commander of 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kenton Komives said, “What we’re doing here during this exercise is lots of things. Starting with the Vistula River, we did a river-crossing down in that town and then we came up to [Sedrowo, Poland] to do live-fire training.”

According to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Komives, the American soldiers enhanced interoperability training with NATO partner nations and learned “how other nations and NATO fight, and then how we can fight together to be better as an organization”.

The U.S. Army statement highlighted that “The mass movement of combat power resulted in military assets coming together to engage in a series of numerous day tank, artillery, and dismounted troop exercises.”

“The armored tank movement and gunnery drills were first on the agenda. Several NATO countries engaging in the drill participated in a friendly accuracy competition, highlighting international cooperation, camaraderie, and above all expert levels of lethality in their issued weapon platforms,” it added.

Poland shares borders with Ukraine and Belarus, as with Russia’s semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw has ramped up its military acquisitions while supplying crucial weapons to Ukraine for its defense. Poland has also signed multi-billion dollar deals with the U.S., South Korea, and other countries to acquire new tanks, missiles, and fighter jets.

Poland has actively participated in arranging fighter jets for Ukraine and provided Kyiv with missiles, drones, tanks, ammunition, and humanitarian aid while calling for additional international sanctions against Russia.

However, Poland’s Defense Ministry stressed in a statement that “Dragon 24 and Steadfast Defender 24 are defensive exercises and are not directed against any country, but are a demonstration of the ability to counter the aggressive policy and provocative activity of the Russian Federation.”

The Dragon 24 exercise ensured that troops from all participating NATO nations had a better understanding of their equipment and capabilities and could effectively work together with members from all over the world.

“Be it rain, or freezing temperatures nothing could deter the NATO troops from achieving their goals NATO’s strengths were highlighted and reinforced with expert leadership and a willingness to work together,” the U.S. Army said in an official release.