Everything is orchestrated to the millimeter: on alert for NATO, an Army regiment conducts an exercise in Dordogne

Captain Vincent is piloting operations from the Direx (exercise direction), located near the town of Nontron, in the center of the exercise area of about 80 km by 40 km. 70 soldiers and around twenty vehicles are deployed in a conflict simulation, with the front zone located to the east. The regiment has two missions. “The first is to support the movements of ground forces on recognized routes, from the rear to the front. The second concerns transportation. By trucks, we supply deployed troops with food, ammunition, fuel,” detailed the captain.

“Informing about all ongoing movements”

For two days, day and night, soldiers patrol and equip routes with standardized NATO military signage. A daily movement and transport table is set up, grouping each displacement: the vehicle, the number of people on board, and its time of passage at each stage. “Everything is orchestrated to perfection, the entire area is well-covered,” explained Captain Vincent. This allows for informing about all ongoing movements. If a vehicle or a person is missing, we must be able to define why.

Two main circulation axes have been defined in the exercise area. Nothing can be left to chance in troop movements. “One must imagine a funnel between the camping areas, to the west, and the front, to the east. We do mathematical calculations to define the maximum number of vehicles that can pass in a certain time without incidents,” the captain explained.

Soldiers trained for autonomy

The teams, of seven soldiers each, are also trained to intervene in technical and tactical incidents. In exercise, they are defined by the direction. “This morning, a team had to deal with a flat tire.” On the ground, soldiers must be able to react to any situation, including medical evacuations. “The enemies are drones, artillery fire, and small commandos,” detailed Sergeant David, who oversees the exercise’s smooth running, but without intervening too much, as soldiers are trained to be autonomous.

“They must not just follow orders, but have a good understanding of war.” Independence is even more necessary as communication is complicated. “In principle, the radio range is 15 km, but it is more like 8 km with the hilly terrain, and each patrol is spaced about 30 km apart.”

This is the second time the regiment has deployed in Dordogne for an exercise. “The terrain is particularly suited to our needs. It is hilly, winding. Our job is the road, if we take highway A2, it’s not of interest. The aim is to perfect our drivers.” There is a second reason for this choice. “Dordogne is a military desert. The only military personnel are the gendarmes in Périgueux. It is important that the population sees us. People are not used to seeing us here; they ask us questions.”

A regiment ready to intervene for NATO

This type of training is carried out twice a year to best prepare the regiment for deployment in a conflict zone. A possibility increasingly plausible in a tense international context, with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. “The regiment is on high alert by NATO, from July 1st and for a year, as part of the ARF (Allied Reaction Force), to intervene rapidly in Europe and worldwide,” explained Captain Vincent.

In this eventuality, troops must adapt to a changing terrain. Above the soldiers, at 9,000 meters altitude, drones monitor their movements. The training is an opportunity to work between different armed forces. “The soldiers from the air base 709 in Cognac-Châteaubernard, in Charente, are flying over us. We train to hide, and they train to search for us. They take images that will allow us to analyze the action afterwards.” Soldiers must compete with cutting-edge technologies. “We can even see the brand of a man’s t-shirt walking his dog, even with this cloudy weather.”