Exercises DRAGON-24, an element of NATO’s manoeuvres under the common codename STEADFAST DEFENDER-24, are being held in Poland, involving a total of approximately 20,000 soldiers from nine countries of the North Atlantic Alliance. Due to the manoeuvres, military columns and traffic obstructions can be expected on the roads.

“DR-24 is a defensive exercise and is not directed against any country but is a demonstration of the ability to counter the aggressive policy and provocative activity of the Russian Federation.  The scale and objectives of the exercise are in response to contemporary threats and stem from the Allied commitments made at the NATO summits in Warsaw in 2016 and in Vilnius in 2023. The planned scenario resembles the real situation and fits the profile and dynamics of current threats”, reports the Polish Army.

The exercise will be divided into two phases. During the first phase, operations will be conducted in the reality of a crisis situation, while in the second phase, they will be conducted as part of a defensive operation. 

Soldiers will perform tasks in the area of training ground centres and in the so-called random terrain. The key elements will be the crossing of allied troops over the Vistula River and the movement of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force (VJTF), which will be an element linking DR-24 with the BRILLIANT JUMP-24 exercise. This will mean that both wheeled and tracked military vehicles will also move on public roads throughout the territory of Poland.

The main forces to take part in the exercise have been earmarked by the 11th Lubuska Armoured Cavalry Division, but soldiers from the special forces, air force, navy and territorial defence are also involved. The DR-24 also involves elements of the non-military part of the state defence system, from local government administration at the provincial, district and commune levels to government administration.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński