Danish soldiers from Bornholm Regiment served as the opposing force when the 71st Battalion of the South Scanian Regiment held its final exercise before its upcoming NATO deployment to Latvia. The Swedish Armed Forces announced the exercise on 11 November.
The opposing force combined the Danish units with Swedish conscripts, soldiers and officers. Together they fielded armour, infantry and offensive air threats. The exercise took place at Revingehed in southern Sweden.
In 2024, the government tasked the Swedish Armed Forces with planning and preparing a contribution of a reduced battalion to NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Latvia.
Squad leader Silje and machine gunner Sixten are three months into their Danish conscript training. This was their first major exercise.
— My best memory is when we were spotted, Silje said. We had waited ten hours and had just made hot chocolate to keep warm, and right then the Swedes came.
Sixten said the training area at home on Bornholm is smaller, and they rarely train against armour.
— So this has been different and challenging, but very rewarding.
