00:00Tutti ogni round è vivo. Tutti ogni impatto è reale.
00:07Belaruse è solo 12 chilometri fuori.
00:14Al fine del 2027 sono circa 5.000 paesi in Lithuania.
00:31Ma chi sono le ragazze e le ragazze behind questa missione?
00:52Senelaga, in Paderborn, in western Germany.
00:54Just after 9 in the morning.
00:56Here, the Tank Battalion 203 from Augustov
00:59begins its journey to the Baltics,
01:01where it'll take part in the multinational NATO exercise
01:03Freedom Shield 1.
01:08For many of these soldiers,
01:10this is more than just another exercise.
01:12By the end of 2027,
01:14they'll be deployed to Lithuania in stages
01:16as part of the Lithuania Brigade.
01:18Around 4,800 troops in total.
01:23But who are these soldiers heading to Lithuania?
01:29Here, we meet two volunteers
01:30who have signed up for several years in Lithuania.
01:33Like every interview we conduct with serving soldiers,
01:36this one also takes place in the presence
01:37of military press officers.
01:40It'll be their first long-term posting abroad.
01:43And it'll take them right to the border with Belarus.
01:47Of course, we always have a nervous feeling
01:49but we have a clear task
01:51and we will fulfill it to 100%.
01:54We are all well trained.
01:56We train for the serious attack
01:58if it should come.
02:00Of course, we don't hope.
02:01But if it should be,
02:03we will be ready.
02:11Around 600 soldiers serve with Tank Battalion 203.
02:15Kevin, known as Rogi, is one of them.
02:41The Lithuania Brigade is still taking shape,
02:44with Tank Battalion 203 being one of its five battalions.
02:50For now, the move is voluntary,
02:52but as the relocation draws closer,
02:54there are growing questions
02:55over whether enough soldiers will come forward.
02:58The German army has said it cannot rule out
03:00compulsory transfers if numbers fall short.
03:03So what's the situation in Tank Battalion 203?
03:06That is probably for the band
03:09the most important task in the history of this band.
03:13And that fills us with a certain kind of pride.
03:18But especially we take the responsibility
03:20that is where there is,
03:22which is behind this task.
03:24I can speak for my battalion
03:27and the mass of soldiers are ready,
03:29to go to Lithuania.
03:31And that is also exactly what I want as a leader.
03:34I want to have soldiers on my side
03:37who are convinced of the task
03:39and who, in the team of Panzer Battalion 203,
03:44take this responsibility.
03:57The Leopard 2 is one of the Bundeswehr's
03:59most advanced main battle tanks,
04:01weighing more than 60 tons
04:03every centimeter counts as it's loaded onto the train bound
04:06for the Baltics.
04:31Before traveling to Lithuania ourselves,
04:34we first head to Berlin.
04:38One question that we have asked us is,
04:41why did Germany decide to build a combat brigade in Lithuania?
04:45I decided to do a special military operation.
04:54Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reshaped security in Europe.
04:59Along NATO's eastern flank, fears of further Russian aggression have grown.
05:06When Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014,
05:09President Vladimir Putin justified the move in part by claiming to protect Russian-speaking minorities,
05:15who used the same argument to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later.
05:20Russian-speaking minorities also live across the Baltic states.
05:24In Lithuania, they make up around 5% of the population.
05:28After the illegal annexation of Crimea,
05:30Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called for a stronger NATO presence along the alliance's eastern flank.
05:36In response, NATO established four multinational battle groups in 2016,
05:41with Germany leading the one in Lithuania.
05:43NATO and government officials warn that Russia may one day attack other countries too.
05:52So what does that mean for Germany and the Bundeswehr?
05:56To find out, we head to the German parliament.
06:02Russland rüstet massiv auf.
06:05Wir sehen die Entwicklung von weitreichenden Waffensystemen.
06:08Wir sehen die Rekrutierung von 1,5 Millionen Soldaten.
06:12Wir sehen die Vorbereitung von Infrastruktur für Truppenstationierung direkt an der NATO-Ostflanke.
06:18Wir sehen an vielen Stellen Vorbereitung eines neuen russischen Angriffs
06:22und diesmal gegen NATO-Partner.
06:24Und das ist genau der Grund, weshalb wir mit unserer Brigade ein klares Zeichen in diese Region setzen.
06:31By the end of 2027, Tank Battalion 203 will relocate to Rudninkai,
06:36the Lithuanian Brigade's main base, just 15 km from the border with Belarus.
06:42Lithuania sees Belarus as a security threat.
06:44Russian forces launched part of their 2022 assault on Kyiv from Belarusian territory,
06:49and Moscow and Minsk continue to hold regular joint military exercises.
06:55Now, there are no direct attacks from Belarus,
06:59but from a military point of view, it is like a military backyard of Russia.
07:05They deploy nuclear weapons, they are using our infrastructure,
07:12they have logistic capability to use Belarus.
07:20We travel to Lithuania to see NATO's eastern flank for ourselves.
07:24For a week, we accompanied the Bundeswehr during exercise Freedom Shield and the Vigilant Owl mission,
07:30just a few kilometers from Belarus.
07:39Among the soldiers training here are Kevin and Rogi from Tank Battalion 203.
07:45At the Paparada training area around an hour from Vilnius,
07:48the exercise enters its live fire phase.
07:52Tanks and artillery have to work together.
08:16Overhead, a Eurofighter and two Tiger attack helicopters join the exercise.
08:35Kevin and Rogi have also completed their live fire exercise.
08:39We weren't allowed to film alongside them.
08:42Afterwards, we hear how it went.
08:47We started with the actual exercise.
08:50Oh no Munition, no Schießen,
08:52with Simulations-Geräten,
08:55where we have been trained.
08:58You learn a lot, you can improve your abilities.
09:01And then, after that,
09:03there was a two-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous-tenthous
09:10-tenthous.
09:11And here is it also extremely staubish and sandish.
09:16How is that as a driver?
09:18It is different than in Germany.
09:19Well, for me, this is the best place for me.
09:25Because I sit under the belt,
09:26I don't get much in there.
09:30It's difficult if you're in a row,
09:33or if you're in a row,
09:34if you're in a row,
09:35you're taking a strong position.
09:37But as a driver,
09:39we also have air conditioning devices,
09:41and that works.
09:42And the commander supports me from above.
09:46Freedom Shield is also a test of how the New Lithuanian Brigade works together.
09:51I think here is this,
09:53just to make it a little more,
09:56or to be able to get better.
09:57Do you see that also?
09:59Or how have you that in the last few weeks
10:01experienced?
10:02Well, the word, just to make it,
10:04is always easier said than done.
10:06Of course, you have to keep the rules and documents,
10:10but I think that we can do this in the Brigade 45
10:15more than we've done before.
10:19And that makes a lot of fun.
10:24The tank battalion 203,
10:26it's time to head home.
10:27Before they can leave,
10:28the tanks have to be cleaned and loaded onto trains.
10:30But this won't be their routine for much longer.
10:33By the end of 2027,
10:34the battalion is due to be permanently based in Lithuania.
10:40While tank battalion 203 prepares for the journey home,
10:43soldiers from the mechanized infantry battalion 122
10:46are learning to build protected positions for drone teams.
10:52We have built a drone space,
10:55based on the experience of Ukraine.
10:59For security reasons,
11:01this soldier has asked not to show his face.
11:03This is the first tunnel.
11:06The entrance is already open.
11:09We will find it right away.
11:41The soldiers dug the first tunnel by hand.
11:43It took them around 30 hours to build.
11:46After that, an excavator helped with the rest.
11:51It's cool.
11:52It's cool.
11:52Man sieht, was man gearbeitet hat.
11:54That, was ich von heute so von vielen mitnehme.
11:56Das ist sehr so einfach mal machen.
11:57Genau.
11:58Man kann einfach hier in Lithuania viel ausprobieren
11:59und sehr realitätsnah das Ganze machen.
12:02So wie es dann später einem hoffentlich nicht erwartet.
12:05Aber man ist ja nicht so durch die ganzen Vorschriften
12:07und Regelungen eingeengt, wie es vielleicht in Deutschland sind.
12:10Die Menschen hier trauen sich was
12:12und man will hier eben auch was schaffen.
12:19Alles, was die Bundeswehr hier macht,
12:21jede neue Möglichkeit,
12:23jede Bewegung, jede Adoptation
12:25ist nahezu durch die Potenzialen.
12:28Wir haben den Inspektor
12:30für den Cyber- und Information Domain
12:31in Vilnius,
12:32um ihn zu fragen,
12:33wie real das Threat ist.
12:34Sie müssen permanent damit rechnen,
12:36dass ihr Vorgehen überwacht wird,
12:39dass man versucht auszuspionieren,
12:40ob man in Kasernen eindringen kann, etc.
12:43Wenn das gelingt,
12:44wird Sabotage nicht lange auf sich warten lassen.
12:46Dass versucht wird,
12:48vielleicht die Wasserversorgung einer Kaserne zu verseuchen,
12:52um damit Schaden herzurufen.
12:54Diesem Risiko sind wir permanent ausgesetzt.
12:57Wir informieren sie natürlich,
12:59wenn sie Telefongespräche führen,
13:02beispielsweise mit den Familien zu Hause,
13:04dass sie natürlich auch dort reinhören sollen,
13:06ob es auffällig knackt im Gesprächskreis.
13:11Was nämlich dazu sein könnte,
13:12dass hier jemand in das litauische Netz eingedrungen ist,
13:16der auf dieser Basis die Möglichkeit hat,
13:20einen deutschen Telefonanruf sozusagen abzuhören.
13:27Running alongside Exercise Freedom Shield
13:29ist Bundeswehr's Mission Vigilant Owl.
13:32Electronic warfare teams scan the electromagnetic spectrum,
13:35tracking signals from equipment and vehicles across the area.
13:38The data is then used to build a real-time picture
13:41of what's happening on the ground.
13:48We accompany one of those teams.
13:52Eine Person ist immer eingesetzt als Auge,
13:55quasi der einmal durchs Gelände führt,
13:57den Blick nach vorne hat.
13:58Das Ziel findet, es anläuft,
14:00per Karte, Kompass, GPS,
14:01je nachdem welchen Mittel wir haben.
14:03Dann geht er über in die Sicherung.
14:08Und der zweite Soldat, der hinten dran,
14:10kann anfangen, den Sensor aufzubauen,
14:12alles fertig zu machen
14:13und dann wird wieder zurückverlegt.
14:17The team is constantly moving its sensors
14:19from one position to the next.
14:23Back at the vehicle,
14:25we ask how the system has performed in the field.
14:29This is the first mission,
14:31where we can use the sensor sharp
14:32on the live signal.
14:34And how was it?
14:34We could deliver good results.
14:36Generally, we could practice here very well
14:40and also deliver information to the vehicle
14:43and also deliver a position.
14:49But the Bundeswehr isn't the only one gathering intelligence,
14:52Lieutenant Colonel Moritz Caselow tells us.
14:54The exercise in Pabrade has not gone unnoticed
14:57across the border in Belarus.
15:09Using a terrain model,
15:11he explains the current situation.
15:12It shows where units are deployed along the border
15:15and how their roles fit together.
15:18Not every threat on the battlefield is visible.
15:21We have the task with the Vigiland-Oel
15:24to clear the signals
15:27in the electromagnetic spectrum
15:28and in the end,
15:29to set a warning function.
15:31One is for the forces
15:32that are currently installed
15:33within the Panzer Brigade 45,
15:35and one is for other providers
15:37and of course also for our partners
15:38the lithuanian forces here at the moment.
15:42Russia's war against Ukraine has shown
15:43just how important the electromagnetic spectrum
15:46has become in modern warfare.
15:49military planners now talk about a transparent battlefield,
15:52one where drones, sensors and electronic surveillance
15:55make it increasingly difficult
15:57to move without being detected.
16:03This is where electronic warfare comes in.
16:06By detecting and analysing signals,
16:08it builds a real-time picture of the battlefield.
16:14What appears in the electromagnetic spectrum
16:16can quickly become a threat on the ground.
16:19Whether it's a drone or an enemy unit.
16:22And throughout the Exercise Freedom Shield,
16:24drones are never far away.
16:28The war in Ukraine has shown just how important it is
16:31to protect military vehicles from drones.
16:34Cheap to produce but capable of causing serious damage,
16:37drones have changed the battlefield.
16:39For Exercise Freedom Shield,
16:40the soldiers developed an additional layer of protection
16:43against attacks from above.
17:03by the time we arrived, the drone cage fitted onto Kevin's tank
17:07had already been removed.
17:11But Staff Sergeant Markus from the Lithuanian Brigade Signals Company
17:15shows us a similar system.
17:17He designed a drone cage for the Fuchs armoured personnel carrier.
17:21I saw a lot of videos from Ukraine and thought,
17:24how could we protect our vehicles against these threats,
17:29which the drone is now bringing with us.
17:31And then came the idea,
17:33so a case to concept,
17:35and to set up.
17:36So we have already been driving a road trip.
17:38We have found one or two Schwachstellen,
17:41which we now have to better.
17:43Now it is here in the prototype
17:45first with Hasendraht,
17:47which we have done with a stabiler
17:49blade.
17:51But when you build it
17:53and develop it,
17:55you can also help against such a Shahid.
17:58At least,
17:59that the aircraft is unverletzed out of the number.
18:04But during the around six-week exercise,
18:06the soldiers weren't just defending themselves against drones,
18:09they were also using them.
18:10Yes, I did also.
18:12I stood here in my Commandant-Luke
18:14and left the drone.
18:17I took the drone off,
18:19and took them off.
18:19And then,
18:19and then,
18:20they were defeated.
18:24Did you fly before the drone?
18:27No, learning by doing.
18:29And how long has it been?
18:30Three minutes.
18:31Is there now the desire,
18:32a bit more with drones generally,
18:34or is it still with the Panzer?
18:36It's quite difficult for the Kampfpanzer.
18:38You have to imagine,
18:40that the car is designed for it,
18:42to open the fight with speed and power.
18:46And then,
18:47I have time to make a drone move on.
18:51With the Lithuanian Brigade,
18:53Germany is placing its faith in heavy armour.
18:56The aim is to deter Russia
18:57and, if necessary,
18:59help defend Lithuania alongside its NATO allies.
19:02But on the drive back to Vilnius,
19:04one question stayed with us.
19:05In the age of drones,
19:07is heavy armour still fit for purpose?
19:09Is the focus on tanks still adequate?
19:11I mean, it's a battle tank brigade.
19:13I see drones not come and not occupy the country,
19:18but it can be used as very good offensive means,
19:24but also in defensive matters.
19:29For now, Kevin and Rogi's deployment to Lithuania is over.
19:33Tank Battalion 203 is heading back to Germany.
19:38The tank crews,
19:40the signal soldiers,
19:43the electronic warfare teams,
19:46the mechanised infantrymen from Oberfichtach,
19:49they all have the same mission,
19:51to be ready for war in the hope that they never have to fight one.
19:58to be ready for war in the future.
19:59To be continued.
19:59To be continued.
20:00To be continued.
Commenti