Polish troops, NATO allies in joint drills despite pandemic

Undeterred by the coronavirus, Polish troops are training intensely in the northeast of the country together with their NATO allies, officials have said.

Polish soldiers in joint drills with NATO allies at a training site near the northeastern town of Orzysz on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020.

Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk

The joint maneuvers, codenamed Tumak-20, are being held at an exercise site near the northeastern town of Orzysz, the country’s defence minister announced on Wednesday.

Na poligonie w #Orzysz trwa ćwiczenie #TUMAK20, podczas którego szkolą się żołnierze #WojskoPolskie, głównie z @16Dywizja i żołnierze @BG_Poland_eFP. Wspólne ćwiczenia to dowód naszej dobrej współpracy sojuszniczej i troski o bezpieczeństwo w regionie. #StrongerTogether. pic.twitter.com/jg4U7lmAkU

— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) November 25, 2020

The main aim is to test the readiness of soldiers to perform tasks and to raise their training level while following health safety protocols amid the pandemic, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said.

He added that a total of 5,000 soldiers were taking part in the drills, including both Polish Army and territorial defence units and NATO allies stationed in Poland as part of efforts to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR