Israel is participating for the first time in two simultaneous large scale international exercises in Europe, the IDF Spokesperson's Office announced Monday, The Jerusalem Post reports.
IDF paratroopers will participate in the Swift Response exercise which will be held in Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, with the participation of a paratroopers unit that will train with the 173rd Brigade of the European Command of the US Army.
Thousands of soldiers from 10 different countries will participate in the exercise, including Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal.
Swift Response will feature airborne exercises, joint forcible entry personnel and equipment drops, air assault operations, a force buildup using a short takeoff and landing strip and noncombatant evacuation operations.
“This is the first time the IDF has participated in a international exercise of the European Command,” read the IDF statement. “The objective of the exercise is to improve the ability for mutual cooperation between the participating armies.”
In addition to Swift Response, more IDF paratroopers will take part in EUCOM’s "Saber Strike" exercise, in which more than 18,000 fighters from 19 countries including Poland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will participate.
An annual drill, the objective of this year’s Saber Strike will be to train and drill NATO's enhanced forward presence with a focus on promoting interoperability and improving joint operational capability in a variety of land missions.
The exercise, which will occur in several Eastern European countries, will also drill troops on contending with airstrikes and tank warfare of foreign forces.
According to the US Army “these exercises demonstrate the command's continued commitment to NATO allies and partners by maintaining its war-fighting edge and ability for crisis response.”
The drill will last until June 15 on NATO’s eastern flank and according to EUCOM is “a demonstration of the commitment and solidarity of the Alliance”.