Firepower on Tracks: Rosa Brava 24-2
As a way of testing their units' skills, the Mechanized Brigade organizes the "Rosa Brava" exercise on a yearly basis. They continually put their combined arms training matrix into practice, always adapting it to the current reality, geared up to operate, ready to engage and emerge victorious.
The second phase of this exercise took place between April 15 and 19, at the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, home of the Mechanized Brigade and the only place that offers the dimensions and conditions to carry out this type of operation.
The objectives of "Rosa Brava" are to integrate and train the capabilities of the Mechanized Brigade's Manoeuvre, Fire Support, Combat Support and Service Support Units, putting their skills to the test by carrying out large-scale operations. This year's exercise is also notable for the integration of the readiness phase of a platoon of Main Battle Tanks that will be part of the national force deployed in Slovakia as part of a NATO operation and for the "Command Post Exercise (CPX)" phase for the "Orion 24" exercise.
During the first few days, the "Field Training Exercises" (FTX) were conducted in which various units from this Brigade were on the field, spread over the immense area of the training camp, with a practical component of various operations within the concept of combined arms. On the days we had the opportunity to accompany the maneuvers, it was possible to observe a platoon of Main Battle Tanks, consisting of a total of 4 Leopard 2A6s, supported by a platoon of the Anti-Tank Group using the M113, two of which were equipped with the BGM-71 TOW system (U.S. made anti-tank missile). These two platoons took up a defensive line that would eventually be confronted by an opposing force. They were supported by the 15.5 Self-Propelled Field Artillery Group (Grupo de Artilharia de Campanha 15,5 Autopropulsionado - GAC 15.5 AP) which had positioned itself in the rear, so that it could provide fire support but far enough away from the enemy. They used the M109A5 self-propelled howitzer to provide that fire support, supported by an M548 tracked cargo carrier and an M577 (command and control variant of the M113).
On April 18, a tactical training exercise with live fire took place at the Dom Pedro firing range. In this simulated scenario, a platoon from the Anti-Tank Group was forced to withdraw after heavy contact with a hostile force. Under the cover of smoke created by indirect fire from two 107mm mortars and 155mm M109A5 self-propelled howitzer, these units retreated to a defensive line. They are then reinforced by a platoon of four Leopard 2A6 Main Battle Tanks and an engineering unit. This Engineering unit will be responsible for clearing an obstacle and creating a safe passage, allowing the remaining units to launch a counter-attack in order to eliminate the opposing force.
(Leopard 2A6 firing a DM88 round (“Cone Stabilised, Discarding Sabot-Tracer Practice Cartridge” (CSDS-T PRAC CTG), Turrent external view)
The "Command Post Exercise (CPX)" phase of the Orion 24 exercise was carried out from the command post of the Mechanized Brigade and was set up as the command post of EUBG 25-2/26-1 (European Union Battle Group 25-2/ 26-1). In this way, it was also possible to use, in a campaign environment, part of the prototype developed by the Army which in the future aims to digitize and reconfigure the M 577 vehicles. The European Union Battle Group 25-2/26 is a joint and combined force of the European Union, which includes resources from the four components: Air, Land, Naval and Special Operations, prepared to intervene in crisis and conflict scenarios.
On January 26, 2024, the Grupo de Carros de Combate began preparing a platoon with the aim of being deployed, at the beginning of July 2024, in the NATO MultiNational Battle Group Slovakia (MNBG SVK).
This platoon consists of 4 Leopard 2A6, with a further unit going as a reserve, making a total of 5 units. There are around 24 soldiers directly assigned to this platoon, plus 2 more who will be working in the General Staff at the Brigade Unit Headquarters, and 1 more who will be working in the General Staff at the MNBG SVK Headquarters, making a total of 27 military personnel deployed.
In "Rosa Brava", the Main Battle Tank Platoon received technical and tactical instructions, as well as maintenance and preparation of the armored vehicles training. At this stage, the exercise plays the role of a pre-assessment of the force's readiness, which will have to be certified in the "Orion 24" exercise.
NATO currently has a total of eight Battle Groups on its eastern flank (from north to south): Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. From July, the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Slovakia will be commanded by Spain, which will deploy a force from its Galicia VII Brigade (BRILAT).
Source Information: Brigada Mecanizada, Facebook
