Exercise taking place in Constância’s Santa Margarida Military Camp
More than 1,400 soldiers from four NATO countries are involved from today in the largest annual exercise conducted by the Portuguese Army at Santa Margarida Military Camp, in Constância.
“Exercise Orion24 is the main tactical exercise scheduled by the Portuguese Army, led by the Land Component Command, and part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Military Training and Exercise Programme”, an official source has confirmed.
Involving soldiers from the Army, the Portuguese Air Force and various Allied Nations, it lasts until May 10 as an intervention scenario under Article 5 (of the North Atlantic Treaty), overseen by US observers.
Orion24 will “focus on a readiness exercise, where Land Forces Command provides the Command and Control structure for force planning and decentralised execution”, said the source.
Participating military include 129 Spaniards, 25 Romanians and 17 Slovaks.
Combat cars and armoured vehicles – such as the Leopard 2 A6 and M113, Pandur, VAMTAC (4×4 wheeled vehicles) and Pizarro (Spanish armoured vehicles), are all taking part, as well as two F16s from the Portuguese Air Force.
The exercise will include the troop deployment and retraction phase, and a transmission exercise and operational cross-training, culminating in a joint live-fire action, the Army has explained.
“Training interoperability between military personnel from various countries in offensive and defensive tactical operations, and in delay and reconnaissance operations, within the scope of planning, coordination and execution for NATO missions under Article 5”, are some of the objectives of Orion24, which will culminate in a multinational exercise with real fires involving armoured vehicles and firing from combat cars and heavy machine guns.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty – binding on parties involved – states that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against all, and consequently parties agree that, should such an armed attack occur, each of them, in the exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, shall, without delay and in agreement with the other parties, assist the party or parties so attacked. Each party shall, in the exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, assist the party or parties thus attacked by taking such action, individually and in agreement with the other parties, as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and ensure security in the North Atlantic region.
The final phase of Orion24 will be dedicated to the ‘real fires’ – the purpose of which is to “synchronise the fire, movement and tactical manoeuvre of ground forces, in an exercise characterised by its combined matrix and where the multiple capabilities and skills of the Portuguese Army will train jointly with soldiers from the armies of Spain, Romania and Slovakia”.
Source material: LUSA
