"Eugen Kvaternik" military training area

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The military training area "Eugen Kvaternik" ( Croatian Vojni poligon "Eugen Kvaternik" ) is the main training area for the Croatian armed forces . It is used all year round; also for specialized soldier training for missions abroad .

The military training area is not far from the city of Slunj in central Croatia . With an area of ​​almost 24,000  hectares (240 km²) it is the largest military training area in Croatia and one of the largest in Europe .

Since Croatia's accession to NATO in 2009, the military training area has become increasingly important and is therefore continuously modernized. NATO maneuvers take place on the site at regular intervals .

location

Croatian soldiers of the 1st Guard Brigade "Tiger" in the Karst during the maneuver "Immediate Response" (2012).

The military training area extends over the mountainous karst area of the Kordun and Lika regions in the immediate border area with Bosnia and Herzegovina . The polygonal training area covers the area south of Ogulin and west of Slunj up to Rakovica . The practice area is therefore relatively close to the Adriatic Sea (behind the Kapela and Velebit mountain ranges). The shortest air line to Karlovac is about 40 kilometers, to Rijeka about 80 kilometers. The area can be assigned to the following local authorities: the city of Slunj, the municipality of Tounj in the north, the municipality of Josipdol in the northwest, the municipality of Plaški in the west, the municipality of Saborsko in the southwest and Rakovica in the southeast. The Mrežnica River flows through the exercise area .

In the immediate vicinity of the military training area there are two once important military airfields, the Željava aircraft cavern near Bihać on the Bosnian-Herzegovinian side, and another aircraft cavern near Udbina . Both airfields were destroyed during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, partly deliberately, partly as part of the war, and have not been renewed since then. The nearest military bases of the Croatian Air Force are in Zagreb ( Pleso ), Zadar ( Zemunik ) and Pula .

history

An M-95 Degman main battle tank during a military exercise at the military training area (2003).

At the time of Yugoslavia , the area was set up in 1965 as a military training area "Slunj" ( Vojni poligon "Slunj" ). It was the main training area of ​​the Fifth Defense Area ( Peta Vojna oblast ) of the Yugoslav People's Army , which was once one of the largest armed forces in the world.

During the Croatian War , the training area was taken on November 17, 1991 by units of Serbian paramilitaries , the later army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina . The control of the internationally not recognized Serbian Republic of Krajina over the area lasted until August 6, 1995, when the military training area was returned to the sovereignty of the Croatian state by the military operation Oluja . After the Croatian War, the military training area was named after the Croatian politician Eugen Kvaternik (1825–1871).

properties

The polygon extends over an area of ​​nearly 24,000 hectares (240 km²). The north-south extension is 28 km. The entire border is 88 km. The practice area is located at an average altitude of 320 m. The highest point is at 900 m. The area is mostly forested.

Around 600 soldiers stay at the training area every day: 400 soldiers from the artillery missile land forces, 80 members of the service personnel, 20 members of the combat training center and 20 members of other formations. Over 1,500 soldiers are present during major exercises. The big exercises included the following exercises: The pioneer troop exercise "Adriatic Philbex 04-2 ENGINEEREX" in 2004, "Noble Midas 07" in 2007 and "Jackal Stone" in 2009.

Slovenian soldiers practice house-to-house fighting in the so-called “Shoot House” during the “Immediate Response” maneuver (2012).

In 2009 a new military restaurant and two specialized training areas were built, the so-called "Shoot House" and the "Konvoi Street".

  • The "Shoot House" is an object that was built for house-to-house simulations on urban locations. It consists of wooden beams that represent buildings. This object is open at the top and has been equipped with cameras. This enables the exercise situation to be observed from a bird's eye view or from a control room.
  • The "convoy street" is used for combat exercises in the event of an attack on a convoy .

Usage

Soldier of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Armed Forces ( traditional HVO regiment ) with his partner in the US Army during the "Immediate Response" maneuver (2012).

The military training area is equipped with numerous training and firing ranges and contains numerous military objects, a helicopter landing pad and an area for the disposal of combat ammunition.

The military training area "Eugen Kvaternik" is used for exercise, training, formation and numerous test methods. The " Miles 2000 " system, an advanced simulation system for realistic tactical training, plays a key role here . Here are laser beams fired from different weapons. During an exercise, everything is recorded on video, which enables subsequent analysis. The advantage of laser weapons lies precisely in their relevance to reality, as hits from a soldier can be clearly seen, which is not possible with the use of conventional maneuver ammunition .

Due to the good facilities and especially the variety of the terrain (forests, meadows, mountains, gorges, ...) the military training area "Eugen Kvaternik" is often cited as a future regional NATO training center. The commercial use of the training area is also possible by renting it to other armies. Even before Croatia's accession to NATO, the USA contributed significant funding to modernize and equip the training grounds. As part of the renovation, a modern water supply system was created with these funds not only for the military training area, but also for the city of Slunj and the surrounding villages.

Environmental concerns

Sniper team of US Marines in the ghillie suit with an M40 rifle during an exercise in the military training area (2000).

In the early 2000s, the local population in this area expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the use of the "Eugen Kvaternik" military training area. In view of the location on the karst subsoil, pollution of the groundwater and the Mrežnica river through the intensive use of ammunition was feared, which could also have a negative impact on the tourist development of the region. The Croatian armed forces have assured that there will be no contamination whatsoever when using common practice ammunition. The local population was also invited to get an idea of ​​the situation. The topic has not been taken up again since then, also due to the fact that the military training area in particular contributes significantly to the economic revitalization of this remote area. Accommodation is currently being built in Slunj for current and former soldiers with state aid.

Maneuver "Immediate Response" (2012)

The "Immediate Response" (IR12) maneuver was a multinational tactical field exercise in which more than 700 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the US Army and the Croatian Armed Forces participated with contingents from Albania , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Montenegro and Slovenia . North Macedonia and Serbia sent observers. The maneuver was part of USEUCOM's joint training and exercise program to improve joint and combined interoperability and was intended to help prepare participants for successful collaboration in a multinational operation.

Coordinates: 45 ° 6 ′ 45.9 ″  N , 15 ° 31 ′ 53.1 ″  E

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Croatian Defense (Morh). "President Josipović visited" Eugen Kvaternik "military training ground" (June 8, 2010)
  2. ↑ Nacional, "SAD će u Slunju za pola milijuna dolara izgraditi najveći vojni poligon u Europi" (February 25, 2002) ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nacional.hr
  3. ↑ Vjesnik. "U Slunju NATO gradi regionalno vojno vježbalište" (August 1, 2004)  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Croatian)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.vjesnik.hr