The activity was carried out jointly by personnel belonging to the local Force Protection Group and a unit assigned to the Pratica di Mare Airport Command. The exercise aimed to counter hostile forces that had penetrated the Base and barricaded themselves within an operational area of particular importance.
The activity, conducted in accordance with the relevant directives, involved, in both the preparation and execution phases, personnel qualified in airport counter-terrorism and anti-sabotage courses held at Poggio Renatico Base by staff from the Pratica di Mare Airport Command.
The exercise involved ground defence operations aimed at retaking a sensitive objective, with a first phase of response from local Force Protection and a second phase of consolidation of operations, which also involved a specific asset from the Pratica di Mare Airport Command, which arrived to support the usual Local Protection arrangements.
The unit arrived at the exercise site with an HH-3F aircraft from the 83rd SAR Centre, which, during operations, provided overhead cover for the forces operating on the ground and facilitated the relocation of the asset during the evacuation from the area.
The exercise, carried out by optimising available resources and limiting expenditure, nevertheless represented a valuable training opportunity for all involved components, as well as a very important moment for the exchange of experiences and professionalism.
