CENTRAL CITY, Ukraine — Following the opening ceremonies of Rapid Trident 2010, Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nazarkin, deputy commander of Eighth Army Corps of Ukrainian Armed Forces, took a moment to describe what he expects from the joint exercise at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Lviv, Ukraine.
He explains not only the expectations of his troops, but also the challenges and opportunities that he foresees from this operation.
“We have prepared for this exercise for a whole year,” said the major general, referring to what his soldiers would learn from this exercise, “and of course our soldiers will get to practice on this exercise and they will practice conducting peacekeeping operations in a multi-national environment.”
There are approximately 1,400 soldiers participating in this exercise, and while there may be cultural and military differences among the nations, Nazarkin does not see this as a real problem, in fact, he sees this as an opportunity for the participating armies to learn and unite. It will not influence the conduct of every task on this exercise, Nazarkin said. He went on to say, “I think the cultural differences will be knowledgeable to the soldiers from every country.”
As far as challenges, Nazarkin doesn’t foresee any major issues through this exercise. There are many participants this year that were involved in the last exercise from the division and brigade headquarters down to the company and platoon levels. With few challenges to overcome last time, Nazarkin believes that this exercise will be no different.
As a joint training mission, many components are involved to conduct a smooth and efficient exercise. All contributors will learn how to function as a cohesive body in war fighting, but will also learn to incorporate the many differences that each nation’s army brings, culturally and tactically. As the training begins and the soldiers start to work with and learn from each other, they will grant Nazarkin his wish, “I wish to conduct this exercise to a high [standard], and professional level.”
