Past the Arctic Circle

Combat infantrymen and special operations forces (SOF) soldiers of the HDF Special Operations Command also participated in the training event organized by the United States European Command (EUCOM), thus gaining experience in crisis response operations carried out with airborne insertion in an international environment and extreme weather conditions.

The Hungarian SOF personnel took their share of the tasks at the Bardufoss Air Station and the training areas in Setermoen and Bjerkvik in Norway. The Hungarian team performed their jumps with OVP-12 SL1 parachutes, used in the Hungarian Defence Forces, and American MC-6 steerable static-line parachutes in the drop zone 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, together with American servicemembers.

During the operation, participants not only had to cope with physical challenges – on several sites, they did their tasks even in one-metre-deep snow – but the coordination of the complex coalition operations also required a great level of flexibility and precision. The Hungarian servicemembers spent ten days in the field, where, following the concealed reconnaissance and the jumps, they performed multi-echelon tactical tasks with multinational sub-units. During this, quick situation assessment, the speed of decision-making and technical and tactical adaptability received particular emphasis.