Solbiate Olona (VA), 6th December 2016. Aimed at verifying the employment ability of combat units, planning the execution of the full spectrum of military operations and testing the digitized command and control program "Forza NEC" (Network Enabled Capability), exercise "Summer Tempest - 2016" has involved 3000 men and women, "Ariete" tanks, artillery pieces, "Dardo" and "Freccia" APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier), "Mangusta" attack helicopters and mortars units, which showed, on the whole, the significant potential for cooperation between tank units, artillery, air support units and infantry.
The exercise was conducted in two phases: the Command Post Exercise (CPX) in Solbiate Olona (VA), which had the purpose to verify the capability of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Italy (NRDC-ITA) in planning and conducting of intensive operations as Land Component Command (LCC). LCC is the land component of the "enhanced" NATO Response Force (eNRF), an "advanced" rapid reaction military tool that, for speed of intervention and operational capabilities, provides the Alliance with a very short notice to move capability to face any threat in crisis response.
Phase LIVEX, conducted in Capo Teulada (CA), developed through a series of fielding simulations and use of dedicated units in different operational scenarios, to hone the ability to execute different types of intervention, test the tactical procedures of different Army specialties and try out new digital technologies for operations management.
The Ariete Brigade was exercised as Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), the key land eNRF component. The task of the VJTF will be to ensure the first and immediate NATO response to possible threats, with the ability to deploy the entire military deployment between 5 and 15 days from the notice order.
"Forza NEC" program has been tested during all the operational and logistic activities integrated into different combat vehicles, equipped with digitized command and control systems.
The exercise implemented, simultaneously, other complex exercises such as "Eagle Meteor", "Stupor Mundi", "Shardana", "Circe", "Galileo", "CBRN" and "Muflone", some of them in close cooperation with several partner countries and allies, such as the US Army Europe (USAEUR) and Slovenia who attended the LIVEX stage with their tactical assets.