Synopsis
NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Hungary tested its combat capabilities alongside the Hungarian Defence Forces during Exercise Adaptive Hussars 23.
During the exercise, troops from Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Türkiye practised the rapid deployment of mechanised forces across difficult terrain. Hungarian combat engineers erected a pontoon bridge across the Tisza River, allowing Armoured Personnel Carriers and other vehicles to quickly cross and move towards their objectives. These “wet gap crossings” are complicated and labour intensive, yet essential for NATO’s forces to remain mobile, agile and capable of rapidly responding to crises.
Adaptive Hussars was the largest military exercise in Hungary for 30 years, with over 5000 troops involved. For the Hungary-led battlegroup - one of four new formations established in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - adaptive Hussars marked the greatest challenge yet. As NATO’s newest multinational battlegroup, this exercise was a crucial test of its capabilities and readiness.
Footage includes a wet gap crossing operation (construction, defence, crossings), footage of Italian paratroopers performing a live fire exercise, and soundbites from battlegroup captains and a commander.
Transcript
—SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS CONSTRUCT BRIDGE FOR WET GAP CROSSING NEAR TISZAROFF, HUNGARY
(00:10) VARIOUS SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS PREPARE TO CONNECT BRIDGE PONTOONS
(00:20) DRONE SHOT (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS CONNECT BRIDGE PONTOONS
(00:27) VARIOUS SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS CONNECT BRIDGE PONTOONS
(00:37) TIMELAPSE (MUTED) - FULL CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE
(00:46) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (MUTED) - WIDE SHOTS OF THE COMPLETED BRIDGE
(01:03) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS BRIEFED FOR FIRST VEHICLE TO CROSS THE BRIDGE
(01:17) DRONE SHOT (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS GUARD THE BRIDGE
(01:22) VARIOUS SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN ENGINEERS GUARD THE BRIDGE
(01:48) DRONE SHOT (MUTED) - FIRST MILITARY VEHICLE CROSSES THE BRIDGE
(01:58) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (MUTED) - FURTHER MILITARY VEHICLES CROSSING THE BRIDGE
(02:04) VARIOUS SHOTS - ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS AND OTHER MILITARY VEHICLES CROSS THE BRIDGE
(02:28) VARIOUS SLOW-MOTION SHOTS (MUTED) - HUNGARIAN TROOPS LEAVE THE BRIDGE AND PATROL THE AREA
(02:57) SHOT - HELICOPTER PERFORMS LOW PASS OVER BRIDGE
(03:05) SLOW MOTION SHOT (MUTED) - HELICOPTER PERFORMS LOW PASS OVER BRIDGE
(03:19) SHOT - ITALIAN INFANTRY ENTER TRENCH TO PREPARE FOR A PLATOON LEVEL LIVE FIRE EXERCISE AT THE HAJDÚHADHÁZA MILITARY TRAINING AREA, HUNGARY
(03:32) DRONE SHOT (MUTED) - ITALIAN INFANTRY IN TRENCH, READY FOR LIVE FIRE EXERCISE
(03:42) VARIOUS SHOTS - ITALIAN INFANTRY IN TRENCH TO PREPARE FOR EXERCISE
(03:53) SLOW MOTION SHOT (MUTED) - ITALIAN TROOPS JUMP OUT OF TRENCHES AND COMMENCE EXERCISE
(04:09) ACTION SHOT - ITALIAN SOLDIER GESTURES FOR COMRADES TO TAKE COVER AND PREPARE FOR FURTHER ADVANCE
(04:17) SHOT - LIGHT MACHINE GUNNER KNOCKS DOWN POP-UP TARGETS
(04:24) VARIOUS SLOW MOTION SHOTS (MUTED) - ITALIAN TROOPS FIRE LIVE AMMUNITION DURING PLATOON LEVEL LIVE FIRE EXERCISE
(04:42) SLOW MOTION SHOT (MUTED) - ITALIAN LIGHT MACHINE GUNNERS ADVANCE FURTHER TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVE, COVERED BY SUPPRESSING FIRE
(04:59) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (MUTED) - ITALIAN SOLDIERS CONTINUE ADVANCE TOWARDS OBJECTIVE
(05:12) SOUNDBITE (HUNGARIAN) HUNGARIAN LIEUTENANT COLONEL ZSOLT JAKOB, COMMANDER, NATO MULTINATIONAL BATTLEGROUP HUNGARY
“This battalion combat team started operating in Hungary in September last year. It was a close cooperation between Italy, Croatia, Türkiye and Hungary with the aim of demonstrating our strength and interoperability capabilities through joint training and joint activities.”
(05:41) SOUNDBITE (HUNGARIAN) HUNGARIAN LIEUTENANT COLONEL ZSOLT JAKOB, COMMANDER, NATO MULTINATIONAL BATTLEGROUP HUNGARY
“We are conducting joint training through the exercises of this battalion combat team framework so that we can get to know each other's combat capabilities, each other's combat procedures, and we can show as much as possible through joint training and activities the interconnectedness, the strength that is practically the essence of the whole so-called combat team. And that is to demonstrate our activities in high visibility training sessions.”
(06:22) SOUNDBITE (HUNGARIAN) HUNGARIAN LIEUTENANT COLONEL ZSOLT JAKOB, COMMANDER, NATO MULTINATIONAL BATTLEGROUP HUNGARY
“In my opinion, since there is a war going on in our neighbourhood at the moment, it is absolutely necessary for the Hungarian Defence Forces, which is currently undergoing development and improvement, to use these joint forces to show that Hungary is prepared to defend itself and the sovereignty of the country in the event of any kind of threat.”
(06:52) SOUNDBITE (HUNGARIAN) HUNGARIAN CAPTAIN DAVID SHULTZ, NATO MULTINATIONAL BATTLEGROUP HUNGARY
“I think it's very important that we have the international forces here, we can work together, we can cooperate and we can be prepared, if necessary, to defend Hungary and NATO's eastern border together.”
(07:04) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ITALIAN CAPTAIN TOMMASO GALLARATI, PARATROOPERS RIFLE PLATOON
“So today we are doing a live fire exercise at platoon size level, which is part of the Adaptive Hussars 2023 exercise.”
(07:14) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ITALIAN CAPTAIN TOMMASO GALLARATI, PARATROOPERS RIFLE PLATOON
“It's a very big opportunity for us because we get to train in different areas than usual, and we get to see the other armies’ and the other comrades’ procedures and ways of dealing with everyday problems, logistic problems, tactical problems. So we get to know each other, learn from them, and hopefully they learn from us.”
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