The aim of the “Pristina 16/I” exercise, developed and prepared by officers of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, was to certify the contingent—that is, to verify the readiness of the 34th KFOR Contingent Rotation to carry out its mandated tasks. It was preceded by training for the exercise leadership, during which the course of the training and the issues subject to assessment were discussed. The exercise leader was the Regiment commander, Colonel Paweł Świtalski.
The entire contingent was certified. Its core consisted of soldiers from the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment, supported by soldiers from the Military Gendarmerie Special Unit in Mińsk Mazowiecki, the Centre for Preparation for Foreign Missions, the 1st Pomeranian Logistics Brigade, the Central Psychological Operations Group and the 9th Reconnaissance Regiment.
The training began with a ceremonial assembly, after which the Certification Team of the Operational Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces, led by Colonel Mirosław Potocki, checked the soldiers’ preparation to perform the tasks awaiting them on the mission. The assessment covered training, operational and planning documentation, as well as the knowledge and practical skills of the contingent’s personnel.
During the six-month training period, the soldiers acquired knowledge of the tasks facing the contingent in the mission area, learned about the legal, cultural and religious conditions in Kosovo, improved operational and tactical procedures, and, above all, underwent intensive training in the functional positions they would occupy in the KFOR Contingent Rotation.
The “Pristina 16/I” exercise plan included a range of tactical tasks designed to assess the performance of individual contingent cells and the manoeuvre company under conditions resembling those in the mission area. The issues assessed included the manoeuvre company’s actions while conducting patrol tasks; preventive and public-order tactics CRC (Crowd & Riot Control); base protection and defence (Force Protection); medical evacuation procedures (Medevac) using a medical helicopter; and the activities of liaison and monitoring teams in monitoring the political and military situation through participation in meetings with key local authorities.
The “Pristina 16/I” tactical exercise confirmed that the effort and time devoted to training and integrating the contingent’s individual components and functional cells had not been wasted. The results of the certification conducted in accordance with the Creval assessment programme confirmed that the 34th KFOR Contingent Rotation, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jarosław Radzimierski, had achieved readiness to carry out its mandated tasks in Kosovo, receiving the rating “Combat Ready”.
Captain Remigiusz Kwieciński/ii