U.S. Green Berets train Polish forces for Russian-style battlefield conditions
NATO military (Photo: Cezary Aszkielowicz/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS)
U.S. Army Green Berets launched exercises in Germany on Aug. 28 designed to replicate conditions from Russia’s war against Ukraine and train Polish forces in modern battlefield tactics, the Associated Press reported.
The drills are the first of their kind conducted for Poland, a NATO ally, and come amid heightened tensions between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and NATO countries.
“We’re taking lessons learned from Ukraine,” a Green Beret officer involved in the exercise said on Aug. 27. “All of these effects that we’re seeing either Russia or Ukraine have to overcome — we’re doing everything we can to replicate those.”
AP journalists visited the training site and spoke with U.S. personnel running the exercise.
Similar drills had previously been held only twice, both times this year and each conducted by a different Green Beret team.
The exercise reflects growing interest within parts of the U.S. military in studying the latest methods of drone warfare. It also demonstrates cooperation among Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies as they prepare for the possibility of further Russian aggression in the coming years, even as President Donald Trump’s administration has discussed reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe.
More NATO allies expected to join
The exercises are being held at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, roughly an hour southeast of Nuremberg.
A senior enlisted soldier familiar with the scenario said organizers plan to conduct the drills several times a year.
The Green Beret officer said he expected most, if not all, of NATO’s 32 members to be interested in sending troops to participate.
Both spoke anonymously in line with the U.S. military’s longstanding policy of not publicly identifying individual members of special operations units.
The drills unfold over several days across roughly 3,000 square kilometers (1,160 square miles) of Bavarian countryside.
Polish special operations forces are expected to infiltrate past a U.S. Army airborne infantry unit playing the enemy.
The U.S. troops parachute into a restricted training area at the Hohenfels base and establish positions along a simulated front line.
If the Polish forces manage to bypass them, they must then move north for roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) through the German countryside to another training area in Grafenwöhr, where their mission is to destroy a simulated target.
Farms, villages and civilians become part of exercise
The route passes through German farms and villages, areas covered by private and government surveillance cameras, and a populated town — creating obstacles and increasing the risk of detection.
During previous exercises, Green Berets removed their uniforms “so they could blend into the crowd,” the senior enlisted soldier said.
“Blending in with the crowd also means going unnoticed by civilians,” he added.
Most German civilians in the area are unaware that the exercise is taking place, making them an effective test of how well special operations troops can conceal themselves.
If residents report suspicious people to police, those reports are passed to the military and can be used to locate the participating team.
“The assumption is that this is Russia, and you’re going to stand out in Russia,” the soldier said.
U.S. drones simulate Russian threat
U.S. forces will also search for the Polish troops using drones.
If the team is detected, it will face “the entire Russian arsenal,” the senior enlisted soldier said.
U.S. forces can dispatch military police units with dogs to hunt down the Polish special operators or send additional drones into the area.
During previous versions of the exercise, U.S. forces had access to more than 100 drones, the soldier said.
Participants can also be declared “captured or killed” as part of the scenario.
Trump has caused uncertainty among NATO allies by repeatedly discussing reductions in the number of U.S. troops stationed in Europe.
AP also noted that a senior U.S. military officer last week disbanded a unit specializing in drone warfare.
Despite those developments, interest in applying Ukraine’s experience of modern warfare — particularly its use of drones — continues to grow, the outlet reported.
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