Sharpening the sword of the alligator, at the threshold of the ”Alligator Sword 21” exercise

As it has been reported multiple times, starting in the middle of November, the German 10th Armoured Division, the Norwegian Brigade North and the Headquarters Multinational Division – Centre will be exercising together for several weeks under the leadership of the 1st German-Netherland Corps within the framework of Exercise “Alligator Sword 21”.

In his speech, Brigadier General Zoltán Somogyi, Chief of Staff, emphasized that such an exercise is a golden opportunity for the staff, as the most important thing in the current phase of the formation of the headquarters is to gain experience and learn.

Considering the planned activation as part of NATO's force structure by the beginning of next year, it is essential that as many personnel as possible have been involved in training for preparing the planning and conduct of multinational operations.

According to the Brigadier General, another major goal of the “Alligator Sword 21” exercise is to ensure that the personnel deployed to Germany, as well as performing the task at the Main Command Post in Székesfehérvár, must see the same current operational picture – besides ensuring the technical side of the connection it also means uploading adequate operational data content in a timely manner.

The two-day preparation was the final chord of the multi-month process of individual and collective training of the practicing staff.

During the presentations, the latest available information on the operation planned according to the scenario of the practice was presented, and, by using a map, based on the content of division operation order, the execution of the planned operation was practiced in details.

In addition to the personnel of the divisional staff, the so-called operators who perform their tasks in the “KORA” simulation system used by the German Army Warfighting Simulation Center in Wildflecken to support practice will also be given a prominent role.

In the framework of a technical demonstration, the infocommunications subject matter experts (SMEs) of the HQ presented in detail the deployable network of the Hungarian Defence Forces provided to HQ MND-C, the static and deployable active elements of the deployable infocommunications system, the Core and Functional Area Services defined by the NATO program “Federated mission network”. During the presentation, special attention was paid to the core software “HUNTACCIS”, supporting command and control (C2) data exchange from tactical to operational level, developed by HM EI Zrt. based on the operational requirements of the Hungarian Defence Forces. With the support of this program, the command is able to extend the infocommunications network not only to the Main and Forward Command Posts, but also to the manoeuvre brigades and their combat support, combat service support units.

After the pre-departure inspection of the contingent, they will leave for Germany this week, to the location of their next competition.