“Falcon Spring”: The birds sing on a beautiful sunny early summer’s day in May. A light summer breeze makes for a pleasant climate. The frog season has also begun and can be clearly heard. In the distance, a farmer is working in the fields with his tractor. Otherwise it is quiet. Suddenly, somewhere in the distance, a soft but heavy, swelling sound can be heard.
It is not entirely clear where it is coming from. It approaches quickly and suddenly several Chinook helicopters appear from behind a row of trees, some of them equipped with a sling charge. The sling charges are set down in a field and the troops quickly leave the helicopters, the soldiers lie down on the ground. The Chinooks then take off and disappear again as quickly as they arrived.
The material is then prepared for immediate use. The same scene is repeated several times. In the end, 22 US and Dutch Chinooks and Black Hawks landed that day. Cooperation between the Dutch and US armed forces is proceeding normally, despite the slightly strained relations on a political level.
Joint Dutch-American exercise
As part of the exercise “Falcon Spring” in the north of the Netherlands, the lock head of the Ossesluis – a lock in the Hoogeveen Canal – was attacked and captured, whereupon reinforcements were brought in to hold it. On this Thursday afternoon, May 15, when Militär Aktuell was present, more than 250 soldiers were dropped off together with Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12CAB US Army Europe) of the US armed forces as part of this sub-operation of the Defense Helicopter Command (DHC) and 11th Airmobile Brigade (11LMB) exercise. Occasionally, Dutch Apache helicopters were also used in this exercise, but not on May 15.
Regular exercises
Exercises of this kind have been taking place regularly twice a year for several years. In the northern Netherlands – the provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel and Flevoland – the aircraft movements take place and temporary bases, known as Forward Operating Bases (FOB), are set up from which the military operates. In a real conflict, mobility, and therefore the ability to move quickly, is essential for survival. The exercises themselves take place both during the day and at night.
Polish forces with Mil Mi-8T Hips were also involved in the previous similar exercises. They were not involved this time. Next fall, however, the “Falcon Autumn” exercise will take place in Poland, for which this “Falcon Spring” exercise was a good preparation.
Cooperation with the US Army
“Cooperation with the Americans is excellent,” is confirmed by various parties. The issues that have played a role at a political level since the new government took office in the USA are hardly noticeable at an operational level. The same was also confirmed at the beginning of the year during the NATO exercise “Ramstein Flag” was mentioned earlier this year. This is not unimportant, as political circumstances can change, but military units must be constantly trained in order to remain operational.
The cooperation between the Dutch and the Americans goes back a long way, including operational missions in Iraq.
After an overnight stay, during which several local exercises also take place in the evening, all personnel and equipment are collected again the next day and the agricultural landscape presents itself again in a state as if nothing had happened.
