Dubbed Puma-22, the manoeuvres are the biggest war games this year by Central Europe's Visegrad Group (V4), a regional cooperation platform that brings together Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland is being represented at the event by troops from its 18th Mechanised Division, who are exercising near the southeastern town of Nowa Dęba, according to officials.
Six countries, 2,000 soldiers, 300 pieces of military equipment
The division’s spokesman, Maj. Przemysław Lipczyński, told reporters: “The drills run until November 9. Taking part are soldiers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, as well as allies from the US and the UK, who are stationed in Poland’s southeastern Podkarpackie region due to the situation beyond our eastern border.”
He added: “The aim of the exercise is to enhance the interoperability of the participating forces and to test their ability to plan, organise and execute tactical action in tandem with allies.”
Some 2,000 soldiers with around 300 pieces of military equipment are taking part in Puma-22, practising scenarios that draw on the lessons of the war in Ukraine, officials told reporters.
'Maneouvre defence,' water obstacles, 'integrated attack'
The Puma-22 drills aim to test the skills of troops in conducting "manoeuvre defence," overcoming water obstacles on Poland’s southeastern San river and carrying out an "integrated attack" involving “Polish Leopard tanks, British Challenger tanks and the Czech T-72 tanks, supported by mechanised infantry, artillery and air force aircraft," Lipczyński said.
Featuring both daytime and night-time operations, the exercises bring together mainly armoured and mechanised forces, as well as artillery, engineering, chemical, air-defence and reconnaissance units, reporters were told.
Also, the commanders of the troops from the six countries are practicing their skills, officials said.
Set up in 2018, Poland’s 18th Mechanised Division is based in the eastern city of Siedlce. It is due to be equipped with US-made Abrams tanks as well as K9 self-propelled gun howitzers and K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery systems from South Korea, the PAP news agency reported.
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Source: PAP, wnp.pl