Czech military base Namest to host 2015 Ample Strike NATO exercise

The Ample Strike 2015 NATO aviation exercise, which is to cover the territory of seven Czech regions, will be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22, said exercise manager Miroslav Svoboda, commander of the Namest base on Friday.

About 1,200 soldiers from 19 countries are to participate in the exercise. The training flight will be held from Sept. 7 to 18. Svoboda said the aim of the exercise was to harmonize the activities of tactical air force pilots and forward air controllers in support of ground operations.

The international exercises will take place at the helicopter base in Namest, the tactic air force base in Caslav, and the military training areas in Libava and Boletice.

Preparations will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Out of the 19 participating countries, 17 are NATO members, while Austria and Switzerland will have observer status.

The training with support of ground forces will be held at the former airport in Bechyne, and the exercises in simulated urban area will be held at the military barracks in Vicenice near Names base. Shooting with live ammunition is planned in areas in Boletice and Libava.

Svoboda said that the exercise would not have the character of an active response to the world's current security situation. The main task of the exercise was to prepare units for common activities and this was their contribution to a joint training within NATO. Scenarios of the exercises have been almost identical in the last four years, said Svoboda.

The exercise follows up the tradition of successful and award-winning international exercises such as Flying Rhino, Ramstein Rover, and Ample Strike 2014, and was organized by Namest base between 2003 and 2014. Endit