1.2.2024
Czech teams in Poland trained one thousand Ukrainians last year. EUMAM training continues through 2024
Specialised mobile teams comprising Czech combat engineers, CBRN defence specialists, paramedics and snipers trained around one thousand Ukrainian service members in Poland in 2023. Their assignment to the EUMAM will continue throughout this year, and will even expand. According to the commanding officer of the first rotation Captain Pavel Kinc, common training benefits the Czech Armed Forces service personnel too: “Thanks to current lessons from the battlefield, we are able to update our own operating procedures, create sustainable solutions, work to prevent future conflicts and strengthen cooperation with other partners.”
The assignment of the mobile teams has been coordinated through the Czech Armed Forces liaison officers posted in the multinational Combined Arms Training – Command (CAT-C) in Poland.
Five-week intensive training tours
“Intensive combat engineer and precision shooting training usually took five weeks. A month was dedicated to training, while the last week saw the final exercise to verify the acquired skills harmonised on company level,” CPT Kinc elaborated.
Precision shooter training focused on basic academic skills from range calculation, through ballistic curve, weapons theory to very firing available weapons provided by the Polish Armed Forces. The training also covered all associated sniper actions from task reception, movement planning, covert movement to the position, area surveillance and return to the unit.
The academic part of engineer training involved mock-ups, practise munitions and charges. There was also live blasting every week, during which the AFU service members were able to practise all skills.
Medical and CBRN defence training took place in weekly blocks. The medical training was performed according to the NATO standard Tactical Combat Casualty Care/Combat Life Saver (TCCC/CLS) methodology. Instructors focused on training first aid in field with emphasis on gunshot wounds treatment and life-saving actions. The training was organised at night while stress conditions through fire, noise or smoke were simulated for Ukrainian service personnel. They also rehearsed situations when casualties outnumbered medics (MASCAL) or there was a lack of medical materiel.
Czech CBRN defence specialists were embedded in a Polish team that specialised in treating casualties affected by the weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Czechs were responsible for areas directly related to CBRN (decontamination, use of detectors and individual protective equipment). The treatment of persons affected by weapons of mass destruction was the Polish responsibility. Training always comprised both academic and field part completed with practising response to CBRN incidents, in which Ukrainian service personnel proved their ability to evacuate casualties from contaminated areas, remove individual protective equipment and provide decontamination in a light decon site. Finally, they were up to providing medical treatment and loading the casualty into an evacuation vehicle.
Ukrainian mechanised and infantry battalions were assigned for training. Since the very beginning, Ukrainian service members had a very positive opinion of their Czech instructors, mostly due to their level of engagement, motivation, preparedness for training and mentoring abilities. “Ukrainian personnel were truly hungry for information and wanted to learn as much as possible to be ready,” said the commanding officer of the first rotation of Czech instructors, CPT Kinc.
Sharing experience helps
CPT Kinc underscored that common exercises, exchange of knowledge and capabilities and sharing of experience from the theatre helps the Czech Armed Forces update its own operation procedures for contingencies and further help create sustainable solutions, prevent potential conflicts and strengthen global cooperation in favour of peace and security in Europe.
According to the commanding officer of the first rotation, the details of the deployment to Poland were initially unknown. However, a well-working training system was gradually set up which satisfied both Allied partners and Ukrainian units. “We were an indispensable element for the Polish hosts with regard to training and especially to the strengthening of EU’s joint effort to support Ukraine’s own defence capabilities. Polish units’ commanders valued our sense of organisation and professional approach to training,” CPT Kinc concluded.
2nd Task Force took over
This year, the Czech Armed Forces assigns the second rotation to continue providing specialist training the AFU service members to the effect of increasing their combat readiness. The core of the 2nd Task Force is manned by the servicemembers of the 43rd Airborne Regiment home-based in Chrudim, who bring along, besides the task force command element and logistic support, the medical and sniper training teams. The task force is complemented with CBRN defence specialists from the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Regiment in Liberec and combat engineers from the 15th Engineer Regiment, specifically 153rd Engineer Battalion based in Olomouc.
The structure of the mobile training module remains unchanged. Czech service members comprising the mobile engineer, medical and sniper teams recently departed for the first AFU training tour. A mobile CBRN defence team took off just a couple of days ago.
“We started another year of activity of our mobile module, which the Czech Armed Forces assigns to the EU Military Assistance Mission Ukraine. Our task will be to continue specialist assistance, training and mentoring to Ukrainian service personnel in order to enhance their skills and abilities to swiftly and flexibly respond to various security challenges. That involves both the training as well as opportunities for sharing experience and lessons learnt,” commanding officers of the second rotation Captain Ondřej Kučera expanded on his expectations.
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