Exercise Live Shield 2016

The certification exercise Live Shield 2016, held at the Training Centre Lešť, is being attended by nearly 900 professional soldiers representing the 11th Mechanised Battalion Group (11th Mech Bn Grp), the 1st Mechanised Brigade, and its subordinate units. The intent is to demonstrate the 11th Mech Bn Grp’s readiness as an integral element of a NATO-led Multinational Task Force (MTF). Over the course of three weeks’ intense field training, the units are to validate their capabilities, to include tactical drills, shooting, military occupational specialty (MOS)-specific missions in near-real conditions corresponding to today’s operational environment. The culmination point of Exercise Live Shield 2016 will be a combat live-fire exercise at the MTF level – a decisive training stage for the 11th Mech Bn Grp, before undergoing the Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) process. Speaking on the occasion of the exercise, SVK Chief of Defence Gen Milan Maxim said: “I am convinced all of the 11th Mech Bn Grp units will reach the required capabilities for a future deployment of their soldiers on international crisis management operations in compliance with NATO standards.”