Brave Warrior Exercise – Cooperation Of The US and Hungarian Forces

The aforementioned exercise took place at the Bakony training centre in Veszprem, Hungary. The elements involved in the operation focused on expanding the cooperation capabilities, when it comes to allied operations. The operation also made it possible to raise the level of combat readiness and strengthen the bond between the allies. Soldiers of both Armies, within the scope of the exercise, had a unique opportunity to carry out a training operation, acting under the command of the officers coming from the allied nation. In case of the US forces, added value of the operation was visible in the fact that the US soldiers could have been involved in training planned solely by the Hungarians, under the Hungarian command. Thanks to the above, the Americans had a chance to get acquainted with the ways of planning and executing the tasks in an allied setting.

One of the main elements of the joint exercise was to go from marching setting into a fighting situation, carried out along with simultaneous tactical reconnaissance. The exercise was finished with a joint field live-fire training.

During the operation, the Stryker Combat Vehicles were being used. This vehicle is a self-propelled TOW-2 ATGM launcher, based on the M1134 Stryker infantry fighting vehicle. Specialized reconnaissance variants of the Stryker IFV and M777A howitzers were also being used throughout the exercise. The Hungarians have been using the BTR-80 APC’s, and the T-72 main battle tanks.

Brave Warrior exercise was not the sole joint US-Hungarian initiative, carried out recently. US Army Europe has just deployed the land forces to Hungary. The relocated units are a part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve initiative, and they include the elements of the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Group of the 3rd Infantry Division. Some of the deployed component are also stationed in Romania and Bulgaria.