Around 800 soldiers from ten countries (including Germany U.S.A., Greece, France, Italy and Spain) are currently on exercise in Menorca. They are part of a NATO rapid response unit based in Bétera, Valencia, one of seven such bases in Europe, which is capable of being deployed quickly wherever needed, whether on military or humanitarian missions, such as evacuations, disaster management, counterterrorism or as an initial entry force preparing the way for a larger following force.
Exercise Hirex 10 is being carried out from 14th to 24th June at the San Isidro Base in Maó and will involve several simulated situations. One of these is a military unit being deployed to provide urgent help to some refugees, but the bridge the convoy has to cross has been destroyed so the engineering corps has to build a new one. The setback means that more troops must be sent, possibly with medical support, and that contact must be made with the civil authorities and non-governmental organisations working in the area to co-ordinate the efficient distribution of aid.
Under the command of Lieutenant General Fernando Sánchez-Lafuente, exercise Hirex 10 involves land, sea and air transport and is designed to test the efficiency of equipment and troops under summer conditions. Similar exercises are carried out every three years; Cádiz being the training ground in 2007 and Mallorca in 2003.
The NATO Response Force is a highly technologically advanced force and for the purposes of this exercise in Menorca some 600 computers have been installed in the field tents erected on the San Isidro Base. Communication is via satellite using the SIMACET system (Army command and control system). Military personnel based in Bétera will also be involved in the exercise. Their job is to simulate the situations which the unit in Menorca will have to resolve. Although the majority of the military personnel involved in Hirex 10 arrived a week ago, the exercise proper did not start until Saturday and will continue until Thursday.
Electronic equipment is also used to maintain the conditions within the 82 special field tents which allow work to be done under any meteorological condition. The tents are linked together to form passages and work rooms and can occupy up to 40,000 sq.m., according to Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Buesa. This 'mini city' is self-sustaining and is capable of functioning without any additional infrastructure. Buesa explained that they generate 5,000 watts of electrical energy, which would be sufficient for the needs of 600 homes.
During the second half of this year the unit will be on stand-by for any rapid intervention needed by the European Union, a fact that made it necessary to bring forward the dates for the exercise during which various tests have to be passed to prove that the force is highly trained.
The multinational troops appear enchanted with Menorca so far, expressing admiration for the beautiful beaches and gratitude for the welcome received from the local population. Many have used their off-duty time to explore the island and hope to return in the future.
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