During Aurora 26, a Swedish-led military exercise, NATO Allies simulated an emergency deployment to the strategic island of Gotland, while the Swedish government practised rapidly deploying forces to another Allied country.
On Gotland, US Army forces worked with Danish Home Guard soldiers to set up a short-range air defence position, while British Army infantry tested their defences. Forces from the Swedish Army’s Gotland Regiment, which was re-established in 2018, and the island’s Home Guard soldiers worked together to defend the island, which is strategically located in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
Meanwhile, Sweden deployed an armoured battalion to Latvia to work alongside NATO’s multinational battlegroup. While this was just a training mission, the deployment used the same transportation and logistics methods that might be used to reinforce NATO Allies in times of crisis.
The Aurora exercise series previously focused on training Swedish forces to mobilise in defence of the homeland. This year’s iteration placed greater emphasis on integrating Allied forces into those defence plans while sending Swedish troops to support other Allies abroad.
Footage includes shots of Swedish Army soldiers training in Latvia; shots of Danish Home Guard and US Army soldiers working together on Gotland; shots of Gotland Home Guard soldiers practising patrolling tactics; and an interview with Swedish Army Lieutenant Colonel James O’Connor.
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY VEHICLES BEING UNLOADED FROM RAIL CARS NEAR ADAZI, LATVIA
(00:43) MEDIUM SHOT – SIGN READING “CAMP VALDEMAR”
(00:47) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY VEHICLES PULLING INTO MOTOR POOL AT CAMP VALDEMAR
(01:15) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH SOLDIERS STANDING ON CV-90 INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE AS VEHICLES PULL IN
(01:22) CLOSE-UP – ARM PATCH OF SWEDISH FLAG ABOVE PATCH FOR NATO MULTINATIONAL BRIGADE LATVIA
(01:27) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH TROOPS MARCHING FROM CAMP VALDEMAR FOR FIELD EXERCISES
(01:43) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH SOLDIERS STANDING IN FORMATION
(01:56) VARIOUS SHOTS – TRAINING OFFICER DELIVERS BRIEFING BEFORE EXERCISES
(02:12) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH TROOPS MOVE OUT
(02:21) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH TROOPS GET BRIEFED PRIOR TO TRENCH-CLEARING EXERCISE
(02:33) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY SOLDIERS KIT UP
(02:57) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY SOLDIERS RUN TRENCH-CLEARING DRILLS
(03:28) SLOW-MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – SWEDISH ARMY SOLDIERS CLEARING TRENCH
(03:35) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY TROOPS CLEARING TRENCHES
(03:59) WIDE SHOT – SWEDISH ARMY TROOPS EXITING TRENCH
(04:04) VARIOUS SHOTS – TROOPS DIGGING FIGHTING POSITIONS
(04:34) VARIOUS SHOTS – TROOPS FILLING SANDBAGS
(04:43) VARIOUS SHOTS – SWEDISH ARMY CV-90 MORTAR VEHICLES FIRING 120MM MORTARS DURING LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE
(05:01) MEDIUM SHOT – GOTLAND FLAG
(05:07) VARIOUS SHOTS – GOTLAND HOME GUARD SOLDIERS PREPARING FOR FIELD EXERCISES
(05:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – GOTLAND HOME GUARD SOLDIERS PATROLLING THROUGH WOODS
(05:52) MEDIUM SHOT – SOLDIER LAUNCHING A DRONE
(05:55) VARIOUS SHOTS – GOTLAND HOME GUARD SOLDIERS PRACTISING CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT MOVEMENT
(06:19) MEDIUM SHOT – US ARMY SOLDIER APPLYING CAMOUFLAGE FACE PAINT
(06:26) WIDE SHOT – US ARMY SOLDIERS LOADING STINGER ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILE INTO AVENGER VEHICLE
(06:34) MEDIUM SHOT – ROAD MAP OF GOTLAND
(06:38) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH HOME GUARD OFFICER BRIEFS US ARMY SOLDIERS ON CONVOY MOVEMENT PLAN
(07:19) MEDIUM SHOT – DANISH HOME GUARD SOLDIERS INSPECT VEHICLES BEFORE MOVING OUT
(07:25) MEDIUM SHOT – US ARMY OFFICER BRIEFS SOLDIERS PRIOR TO MOVING OUT
(07:32) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH HOME GUARD AND US ARMY VEHICLES MOVE OUT
(08:00) WIDE SHOT – US ARMY SENTINEL ANTI-AIRCRAFT RADAR SET UP
(08:05) MEDIUM SHOT – US ARMY OFFICER TALKING TO DANISH HOME GUARD SOLDIERS
(08:10) MEDIUM SHOT – DANISH HOME GUARD SOLDIERS APPLY FACE PAINT
(08:13) WIDE SHOT – DANISH HOME GUARD SOLDIER KITS UP
(08:20) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH SOLDIERS MOVE OUT
(08:41) LOW-ANGLE SHOT – PATROL VEHICLE MOVING ALONG ROAD
(08:46) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH SOLDIERS DISMOUNTED
(08:59) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH SOLDIERS MOVING IN TRUCKS
(09:12) WIDE SHOT – DANISH ARMY SENTRIES OVERLOOKING STRETCH OF COASTLINE
(09:18) WIDE SHOT – SENTINEL RADAR SPINNING
(09:22) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Swedish Army Lieutenant Colonel James O’Connor, battalion commander, South Skåne Regiment
“Well, we use different means of transport, so we’ve gone both by train, boat and buses that are the last leap of the transport. And it’s a major operation from Sweden to Latvia.”
(09:40) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Swedish Army Lieutenant Colonel James O’Connor, battalion commander, South Skåne Regiment
“So we’ve deployed our conscripts here and attached them to 71st Battalion. And that’s for training only in Latvia, but still it gives us a good opportunity to how it would look like if we would reinforce in a time of crisis.”
(09:59) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Swedish Army Lieutenant Colonel James O’Connor, battalion commander, South Skåne Regiment
“Well, it’s one thing on only defending Sweden, but now we’re part of something bigger, an Alliance where our defence plans need to stretch out and involve actually defending a border that’s further east of us.
(10:16) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Swedish Army Lieutenant Colonel James O’Connor, battalion commander, South Skåne Regiment
“I would say I’m proud and I’m confident with what the conscripts are capable of. Of course, they’re here on a training mission, but still it proves what we’re capable to do and what quality we have in our basic training.”
Subscribe
