Thousands of Soldiers Hold Multinational Exercise at Pápa Air Base

Hungary Today 2024.05.14.

The “Swift Response 2024” multinational exercise at the Pápa Air Base (in western Hungary) will demonstrate speed and deployability, said Lieutenant Colonel Lajos Turzó, Deputy Commander of the facility, at a press conference on the site on Monday.

About 4,500 soldiers are taking part in the exercise, which is part of a higher-level NATO training, writes Magyar Nemzet. It is led by a German division and focuses on operational capabilities.

Photo via honvedelem.hu.

200 ground vehicles and 35 rotary-wing aircraft, including 14 NH90 helicopters, will be deployed to the Hungarian Defense Forces’ 47th Air Base in Pápa.

Photo via honvedelem.hu.

Photo via honvedelem.hu.

The high-level exercise – called “Steadfast Defender 24” – is one of NATO’s most extensive trainings across Europe, involving a total of 12,000 troops across the continent.

Fact

“Steadfast Defender 24” is NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War. It demonstrates the unbreakable bond between NATO Allies in Europe and North America. Exercise “Steadfast Defender 24” is split into two overlapping parts. Each phase of the exercise includes a range of associated exercises hosted by different countries. Part one focuses on transatlantic reinforcement – the strategic deployment of North American forces across the Atlantic to continental Europe. This phase includes maritime live exercises and amphibious assault training in the North Atlantic and Arctic seas. Part two focuses on multi-domain exercises across Europe – demonstrating NATO, national, and multinational military capabilities. This phase also tests the rapid deployment of troops and equipment across borders within the Alliance.

Photo via honvedelem.hu.

Photo via honvedelem.hu.

The “Swift Response 2024” exercise has three main directions, with Norway and Sweden to the north, Poland and Lithuania to the east, and Hungary and Romania to the south. The Hungarian exercise involves German and Dutch soldiers. After that, about 1,000 soldiers will later participate in a parachute exercise in Romania near Turda (Torda) and Cincu (Nagysink).