Exercise Peace Shield 2024. NATO and Moldova continue cooperation
Personnel from the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion (right) at an event in 2021.
The Republic of Moldova is not officially a member of NATO, but has long and actively cooperated with it in the military sphere. One of the areas of such interaction is international exercises of various kinds. The next Moldovan-NATO maneuvers are starting right now and are called Peace Shield 2024. During these events, one of the units of the Moldovan army will have to show its training and compliance with NATO standards.
"Shield of Peace"
The international exercise Peace Shield 2024 started last Monday and will last until June 28. All planned events are carried out on Moldovan territory, in various parts and at training grounds. In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Moldova warned the population that during the exercises, military equipment and combat vehicles would appear on public roads. However, we are only talking about the transfer of units and subunits from places of permanent deployment to training grounds.
The main participant of the Peace Shield is the 22nd peacekeeping battalion of the armed forces of Moldova, also called the Blue Helmets. Over the past years, this unit has been re-equipped and trained according to NATO standards within the framework of the so-called. Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC). The battalion regularly underwent various types of inspections and demonstrated its ability to work according to the Alliance regulations. This time he will again have to demonstrate his potential.
The Moldovan Ministry of Defense reports that during the exercise, the 22nd peacekeeping battalion will solve a variety of tasks typical for international peacekeeping missions. In training, he will have to carry out patrols, escort convoys, stand guard at checkpoints and inspect vehicles, as well as guard assigned objects, provide medical assistance and evacuate the wounded.
The Blue Helmets are monitored by representatives of the Moldovan and foreign command. NATO military experts must evaluate the battalion's performance and determine whether it meets OCC requirements and standards. If the decision is positive, the 22nd battalion will receive the appropriate certificate.
Also, as part of the Peace Shield 2024 exercise, theoretical training events will be held. On the basis of one of the Moldovan units, a training course will be held for specialists who will evaluate troops using OCC methods. This training will take approx. 40 military personnel from 21 foreign countries, both within NATO and non-aligned.
Specific events and actions of troops during the ongoing exercises have not yet been reported. Probably, such information will appear a little later. However, the exercises are actually organized only for one battalion, and their concept boils down to peacekeeping missions. All this indicates that there will be no large and interesting training battles, and nothing remarkable will be demonstrated.
Inspected battalion
The 22nd peacekeeping battalion of the ground forces of Moldova was formed in 1999. This unit was created specifically to participate in various international peacekeeping operations abroad. During such a deployment, the battalion had to interact with units and formations of other countries. Participation in international exercises was also planned.
During its existence, the Blue Helmets, represented by individual units, have repeatedly participated in UN peacekeeping operations. Its personnel worked in Côte d'Ivoire, Kosovo, Liberia and Sudan. The unit’s track record also includes a number of exercises in different countries, from Armenia to the USA.
It should be recalled that the Republic of Moldova has been cooperating with NATO since the early nineties. She first joined the Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Council and then joined the Partnership for Peace program. In 2007, the Moldovan army joined the “Concept of Operational Capabilities” program. As part of the latter, preparations began for the transition of the army to NATO standards of equipment, management, supply, etc.
The 22nd peacekeeping battalion was the first to switch to new standards. By nature of its activities, it interacts with foreign troops more often than other units, and in its case, NATO standards seem fully justified. The first results in the context of re-equipment and retraining were obtained back in the early XNUMXs, but the complete transition was significantly delayed.
The necessary changes and training have only recently been completed. Now the Blue Helmets will have to show new skills and compliance with OCC standards. The ongoing Peace Shield 2024 exercise is becoming a test of sorts for the battalion. Having successfully completed all combat training tasks, the unit will receive a certificate of conformity, which will allow it to fully participate in NATO events.
In terms of functions and equipment, the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion is a motorized infantry unit. The personnel use small arms and grenade launchers. The fleet of vehicles includes armored personnel carriers and cars. At the time of its formation and for a long time, the battalion had only Soviet-style equipment. After the army joined the OCC, the battalion received NATO weapon and technology. The rearmament was carried out mainly through American aid supplies.
Eastern flank
The Moldovan 22nd peacekeeping battalion is not distinguished by its large numbers or significant combat capabilities. In addition, it has specific tasks and goals that impose additional restrictions. In general, this battalion looks like a significant force only within the armed forces of Moldova - also not the largest and most developed.
To date, the battalion has undergone rearmament, re-equipment and retraining according to NATO standards. Now he is undergoing an “exam”, based on the results of which he can receive the corresponding NATO certificate. The transfer of just one battalion to Alliance standards took several years, but this process showed the fundamental possibility of modernizing the Moldovan army as a whole.
In the past, the Blue Helmets used Soviet-style equipment
The completion of the transition of the 22nd battalion to new standards should please the current Chisinau regime. The Moldovan authorities, despite the constitutional provision on neutrality, are striving to drag the country into NATO, and the re-equipment of the first part is the most important event on this path. Obviously, in the future they would like to carry out a similar restructuring of the entire remaining army, not only within the OCC, but also as a full member of NATO.
Apparently, the Alliance is also not against such a development of events. At the same time, he is not interested in the modernization of the Moldovan army itself, but in the accompanying opportunities. Thus, the transition of the armed forces to new standards involves not only the replacement of weapons and equipment. It is necessary to build/restructure military infrastructure, deploy a number of facilities, etc. All of them will be able to be used by both the local military and contingents of foreign NATO member countries.
After the hypothetical entry of Moldova, the Alliance will have new territories at its full disposal in the southern part of the notorious Eastern flank. Now NATO’s borders in this region lie along the borders of Romania, and the loyalty of the Chisinau and Kyiv regimes provide some additional opportunities. The inclusion of Moldova in NATO will shift these boundaries in an eastern direction, and with full legal justification.
Country and organization
Thus, the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova are settling the final formalities in the context of transferring the first part to NATO standards. The successes achieved are now being demonstrated during the international exercises Peace Shield 2024. It is likely that this process will continue in the future, until the army completely switches to new types of weapons and foreign regulations.
Such processes of cooperation between Moldova and NATO are generally beneficial for both parties. The Chisinau regime gets the opportunity to realize its desires and join the Alliance, also updating the army. In turn, NATO will be able to further advance eastward. And the goals of such promotion have long been well known.
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