Ukrainian Artillery Takes Part in NATO Exercise in Poland
Dynamic Front 21 is a multinational exercise that aims to improve readiness and interoperability by putting allied and partner countries’ ability to incorporate joint fires in a multinational setting to the test.
The active phase of the International Dynamic Front 2021 exercise started on 17 May, at 6 A.M., at the training ground near Torun, Poland, with the participation of General Dashkevich of the Ukrainian Land Forces Command.
The Ukrainian artillery unit spent two weeks at the site in Poland, during which time the unit learned a lot about the lives and careers of their colleagues in the artillery units of the US and Danish armed forces, learned about their experiences, and shared their own.
The Ukrainian army took part in the exercise with a 54-caliber Soviet-made 2A36 Giatsint howitzer with a 152-mm barrel. The Ukrainian artillery unit will continue participating in Dynamic Front until 21 May.
The 41st Field Artillery Brigade of the 7th American Army, also known as the European Army, the 7th Field Army of the United States, has been stationed in Europe since the end of World War II and commands the artillery units of various countries participating in the exercise.
Another battalion taking part in the exercise is the Dragon battalion of the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment. A post made by the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment on their official facebook page said:
“The DRAGON battalion stands ready to conduct missions and work closely with our allies and partners. Engaging with other nations gives our Troopers the opportunity to learn new skills and gain new perspectives in order to further increase readiness.
Furthermore, soldiers from Ukraine, Denmark and Poland are integrated in with our battalion staff in order to plan and execute joint missions. Integrating our planning process allows our nations to operate together and be ready to respond to any threat!”
From the official Facebook page of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Dynamic Front exercises are not directly linked to the DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercise. But these two exercises share many of the same participants and/or assets, and occur in the same time frame.
Following the events in Ukraine in 2014 and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO, led by the United States, has begun rapidly arming Eastern European countries to counter the Russian threat. In addition to Poland, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Estonia, which are Russia’s neighbors, have become military training grounds. Lithuania, which shares a border with Belarus, has also recently become an important NATO base.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, on the other hand, has instructed Russian soldiers to be ready to intervene immediately if negative developments occur in the areas where NATO’s Defender Europe 2021 exercise will be held.