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What does it take to jump from 1,250 feet and fight behind enemy lines? Step into the world of NATO’s paratroopers – elite soldiers trained to operate in enemy territory with minimal support.

Paratroopers are a unique and essential force within NATO's military structure. As dynamic and versatile high-readiness units, paratroopers play a crucial role in wartime operations, often being deployed behind enemy lines with minimal support.

This video explores the rigorous training processes that shape these soldiers, emphasising the physical and mental resilience required to succeed. It also highlights the importance of teamwork and camaraderie among NATO paratroopers, showcasing how they work together seamlessly across national and linguistic barriers in various NATO operations and exercises.

--VOICEOVER—

They are shock troops, designed to cause chaos behind enemy lines.



—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Sergeant 1st Class Charles Payne, US Army Airborne School instructor

“You gotta be a little bit crazy just to take that step into the wind, put those knees to the breeze and fall from 1,250 feet.”


--VOICEOVER—
Fearless, adaptable, unpredictable.



—SOUNDBITE IN POLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
2nd Lieutenant Patrick, 6th Airborne Brigade

“The risk, as with any jump, is very high, although it is rewarded by the fact that you are a member of the elite 6th Airborne Brigade.”



--VOICEOVER—

Deployed to places where other troops simply cannot get to.



—SOUNDBITE IN ITALIAN (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Simone Fabbri, 20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company

“We study the terrain, we study the mission. We adapt to the environment and we operate.”


--VOICEOVER—

Able to operate independently and with little support.


—SOUNDBITE IN FRENCH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Mathieu, 1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment

“We have an objective. With or without the means to do so, we will fulfil that objective.”


--VOICEOVER—

Part of an international community forged on determination and courage.


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Private 1st Class Annabelle Fox, US Army Airborne School graduate

“Becoming a paratrooper was one of the steps into becoming something bigger than myself.”


--VOICEOVER—

“They are the paratroopers of NATO.”

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SKY SOLDIERS
THE PARATROOPERS OF NATO


--VOICEOVER—

Ever since man mastered the science of flight, people have jumped out of planes.




In World War 2, the concept of dropping soldiers from the air developed as an effective military tactic to create chaos within enemy ranks.


--UPSOT IN ENGLISH—
Newscaster on old film

“America learned from the war in Europe that parachute troops were not merely a crazy military tactician’s dream. They can form a most dangerous arm for an army attacking in depth.”


--VOICEOVER--

By recruiting physically fit people with mental toughness and daredevil attitudes, armies were able to develop paratroopers to undertake daring missions behind enemy lines.

During D-Day, paratroopers helped change the course of the war when they were dropped behind the beaches of Normandy securing roads, bridges and towns.


Over the years, paratroopers from NATO Allies have done a variety of tasks and operations in conflicts around the world.













Today they are a dynamic, versatile high-readiness force and an integral part of NATO’s operational strength.

• TEXT ON SCREEN -

FORT MOORE
GEORGIA, USA



--UPSOT (ENGLISH)—
US Jump Master talking to students

“Alright, when 129 gets back, make sure he’s getting rigged up.”


--UPSOT (ENGLISH)—
Paratrooper students jump out of 34-foot tower

“One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand.”



--VOICEOVER—

The journey for any paratrooper, no matter where they’re from, starts in training. In the US, that means completing a Basic Airborne Course at the US Army Airborne School at Fort Moore in Georgia.

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SFC CHARLES PAYNE
US Army Airborne School instructor


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Sergeant 1st Class Charles Payne, US Army Airborne School instructor

“We have students who have never even flown in an airplane until they get here. There’s a huge confidence step that they have to gain. Hopefully what we get out of it is brand new paratroopers at the end of it who are confident and ready to go to their unit and increase the force of which we have for airborne-qualified people.”


--UPSOT (ENGLISH)—
Airborne School instructor talking to student

“That looks good. Hit the ground just like that. Squeeze those toes.”


--VOICEOVER—

Every year approximately 15,000 new recruits enrol on the three-week course.

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PFC ANNABELLE FOX
US Army Airborne School graduate

—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Private 1st Class Annabelle Fox, US Army Airborne School graduate

“I was honestly very excited when I got here. Of course I had those doubts that I wasn’t going to make it but you get a brief once you get here and they tell you what to expect, starting from ground week, to tower week, to jump week and they overall just prepare you from the moment you get in the door, physically and mentally, to get out of the plane.”


--UPSOT (ENGLISH)—
US Airborne recruits listening to a briefing

“Airborne!”


--VOICEOVER—

Part of that mental preparation is overcoming the fear reflex when jumping from great heights.


--UPSOT (ENGLISH)—
Airborne jumps from the 34-foot tower

“One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand.”


--VOICEOVER—

To break the students in, week two of the course focuses on an exercise known as the 34-foot tower.


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Sergeant 1st Class Charles Payne, US Army Airborne School instructor

“So the 34-foot (10.3 metre) tower is the very first time where a lot of students will move up heights and then they get up to the top and it’s shaped kind of like the inside of the door for the airplane. Scientists said 34 feet is the same as 1,250 feet (381 metres) mentally. Our brain doesn’t differentiate it. Either way we’re jumping out and if they can gain the confidence of jumping out the 34-foot tower then they will have the confidence to jump out of an airplane.”


--VOICEOVER—

But learning to jump from the tower isn’t just about overcoming a fear of heights.

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SSG BRADLY TESSENDORF
US Army Airborne School instructor


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Staff Sergeant Bradley Tessendorf, US Army Airborne School instructor

“They’re getting some more training on actual proper exits. They’re getting training on reacting to certain malfunctions and activating their reserve and then they’re also getting the training on exiting the aircraft as a group as opposed to as individuals.”


--VOICEOVER—

Those that make it through the course will become qualified paratroopers, which is known in the community as earning their wings.


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Private 1st Class Annabelle Fox, US Army Airborne School graduate

“I decided to be a paratrooper because my dad was a paratrooper. My dad is my biggest role model. He has always been my number one supporter and it’s something that my dad takes a lot of pride in, and I wanted to join the same community and have the same amount of pride as my dad does.”


--VOICEOVER—

While some of the recruits who graduate the Basic Airborne Course will join units within the US, others will join the 173rd, a US airborne infantry brigade based in Italy, where they’ll jump alongside paratrooping units from other NATO nations, such as the Italian Folgore Brigade.

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CPT SIMONE FABBRI
20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company


—SOUNDBITE IN ITALIAN (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Simone Fabbri, 20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company, Italian Army

“The motto of the Folgore Paratrooper Brigade is ‘lightning from the sky’, and represents our way of being, our way of operating. We, like a bolt of thunder and lightning, come down decisively and promptly from the sky to take on any task that we are assigned to support.”

• TEXT ON SCREEN -

CARPEGNA
ITALY


--UPSOT (ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBS)—
Captain Simone Fabbri gives orders during exercise

“Two zero, enemy taken down, enemy taken down. We resume the assault.”


--VOICEOVER—

The Folgore Brigade is an elite airborne infantry unit in the Italian Army known for the bravery and determination of its forces. Deployed on various national and international operations including NATO missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan, it is a high-readiness force specialising in parachute assault operations.”




—SOUNDBITE IN ITALIAN (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Simone Fabbri, 20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company

“We, as paratroopers from the Folgore Brigade, were born to operate behind enemy lines, behind the enemy’s back and achieve those objectives that others of course cannot reach. Obviously, we are called to operate in various different scenarios. This doesn’t matter. We study the terrain, we study the mission, we adapt to the environment and operate.”


--VOICEOVER—

Parachuting allows troops to quickly and effectively enter unstable areas, but what really sets paratroopers apart from regular infantry soldiers is what they’re trained to do once they’ve landed in enemy territory.


—SOUNDBITE IN ITALIAN (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Simone Fabbri, 20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company

“The launch is just a means of reaching the area of operation, but the real parachutist can be recognised on the ground because they operate in extremely difficult situations, cut off from communication with their side and their supply lines. Completely isolated. And this environment, it makes them stand out because they face difficulties that are unique and only with the stubbornness and spirit of the paratroopers it is possible to accomplish this type of mission.”



--VOICEOVER—

Paratroopers can be used to perform a variety of tasks including capturing critical infrastructure, sabotaging enemy supply lines, executing strikes and raids, and conducting intelligence gathering operations.

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CPT MATHIEU
1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment

—SOUNDBITE IN FRENCH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Mathieu, 1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment, French Army

“Once we have been deployed behind enemy lines, we can harass them, destroy targets of opportunity and most of all collect intelligence for friendly units and possibly also provide cover to avoid any enemy reinforcements on the main lines.

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TAPA
ESTONIA

--VOICEOVER—

Paratroopers must also be adaptable, and able to adjust to conditions on the ground depending on what they find and the kind of resistance they meet. Here in Estonia, French paratroopers are exercising alongside Estonian forces in moving and fighting through networks of trenches.

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LT GAUTHIER
1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment

—SOUNDBITE IN FRENCH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Lieutenant Gauthier, 1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment, French Army

“Trench warfare is on the rise again in modern conflicts. It is a type of fighting we have to get used to, which we will probably have to face in the next few years. And so it is important to stay up-to-date and to do so in partnership with the various NATO troops.”

--VOICEOVER—

The stakes for paratroopers are especially high. Fail their mission and they risk being stranded behind enemy lines.


—SOUNDBITE IN FRENCH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Mathieu, 1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment, French Army

“Paratroopers must be determined. When they are given a mission, whatever the means they are given, they must always aim to complete the mission, at any cost.”

• TEXT ON SCREEN -

KATOWICE
POLAND


--VOICEOVER—
Cooperation between paratroopers from different Allied nations could be critical if a crisis strikes. Here in Poland, paratroopers from various NATO nations come together to jump alongside each other and practise handling missions together.

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2LT PATRICK
6th Airborne Brigade


—SOUNDBITE IN POLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
2nd Lieutenant Patrick, 6th Airborne Brigade, Polish Army

“It’s important, from this perspective, that we exchange experiences and exchange ways of parachuting. Especially since each army has a different type of parachute that it uses to jump. So this allows us to exchange experiences first and foremost.”


--VOICEOVER—

One of the main advantages of paratroopers is their ability to deploy to otherwise inaccessible areas. During the training, the paratroopers perform different types of jumps including high altitude, and also practise landing in different terrains.


—SOUNDBITE IN POLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
2nd Lieutenant Patrick, 6th Airborne Brigade

“There are really no specific places where we usually land. We can land in fields and deserts, as well as lakes and mountainous areas.”


--VOICEOVER--

But the main objective of training together is to reaffirm a camaraderie born out of shared experience, a bond that transcends differences in language and nationality.




—SOUNDBITE IN POLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
2nd Lieutenant Patrick, 6th Airborne Brigade

“I think the best word for it would be ‘brotherhood’. Because we do so many exercises as a single force. As NATO, we cooperate together, jump together and work together.”


--VOICEOVER--

In an unpredictable world, it is vital that NATO has specialist soldiers, trained and ready to deploy.


—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH —
Sergeant 1st Class Charles Payne, US Army Airborne School instructor

“We’re physically, mentally always ready to go. We know that we can respond to anything that we’re told to, real fast.”


--VOICEOVER—

Troops with the skillset and mentality to cope with extreme conditions in dangerous areas with little support.


—SOUNDBITE IN FRENCH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Mathieu, 1st Parachute Chasseurs Regiment

“Paras are always driven by a sense of adventure, determination, a desire to move forward and to fulfil their mission.”

--VOICEOVER—

A force that can react and adapt to any challenges it may face.


—SOUNDBITE IN ITALIAN (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Captain Simone Fabbri, 20th ‘PUMA’ Parachute Company

“It is important that NATO has an airborne force that is prepared and lives up to all expectations, because we never know what challenges await us.”


--VOICEOVER—

A dynamic force such as the sky soldiers, the paratroopers of NATO.

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