At the Slim Line base in Pristina, platoons of the maneuver company, together with Portuguese soldiers from the KFOR reserve maneuver battalion, practiced responding when demonstrators use incendiary devices.
The training began with individual instruction. First, Portuguese instructors demonstrated the basic principles and techniques of operation, and then moved on to practical training. The soldiers quickly mastered the technique of moving when exposed to an incendiary device. The next stage involved coordinating squads and platoons, while the final part focused on cooperation between Polish and Portuguese platoons.
“Training conducted as part of the Fire Phobia procedure prepares maneuver-company soldiers to respond properly to threats involving the use of improvised incendiary devices. It is part of sustainment training designed to maintain their ability to perform tasks in the area covered by the mandate, such as intervention tasks carried out in Kosovo to support the Kosovo police. Real threats will be less dangerous if soldiers know how to act during violent clashes with protesters,” says Capt. Piotr Sobański.
The instructors rated the Polish platoons’ performance very highly. The soldiers’ strong commitment was the main factor behind this assessment. It should be emphasized that the high rating for carrying out these procedures also resulted from the soldiers’ intensive training and cohesion to date. This type of training enables them to gain a closer understanding of the real threats that may arise while carrying out tasks in Kosovo. Despite the relatively stable situation in the area covered by the mandate, the possibility of ethnic or politically motivated protests and riots must still be taken into account.
Joint exercises and training involving soldiers from various countries that make up the KFOR International Forces in Kosovo enable the exchange of experience and comparison of procedures and individual soldiers’ equipment. The speed and uniformity with which tasks are performed guarantee effectiveness in dynamic clashes.
press office of the 34th rotation of the KFOR Polish Military Contingent/ii