NATO-TV

**W/Subtitles**

Latvians and Canadians battle it out on the ice rink during the 2017 Baltic Military Winter Games.

Every year in Estonia thousands of young men are called up to complete a compulsory 8- or 11-month military service. Providing they are physically and mentally capable, conscripts undergo intense training under the watchful eye of military instructors. We follow one small unit of conscripts as they undergo day and night-time operations deep in the Estonian countryside

NATO is deploying a multinational battalion to Lithuania. Led by the Germans, the battalion will also include troops from Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway. It is one of four multinational battalions to be deployed along NATO’s eastern flank.

The deployment of the four battalions, agreed at the NATO Summit last year, is a response to Russian aggression including troop build-up along their western border, airspace incursions and the illegal annexation of Crimea. NATOChannel visits Rukla Training Area in Lithuania to find out what both military personnel and local people think of the deployment.

The NATO Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) Centre of Excellence is deploying a multinational team of instructors to Iraq. These experts will train Iraqi security forces on how to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This counter-IED training program is led by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program. IEDs or roadside bombs are inexpensive and easy to get by terrorists, and ISIL is making an extensive use of these bombs in the occupied areas, aiming to provoke terror among the population. Iraqi security forces have to face IED threats when retaking territory. Achieving high-level skills in detecting and defusing IEDs will help Iraqi officers with their struggle against terrorism.

As part of a winter training course US light infantry soldiers jump into a near-freezing plunge hole in a lake in Latvia. Under the guidance of their Latvian instructors, the practical part of the course is to test their survival instinct in cold weather situations.

In the early years of her life, Latvia’s former President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga spent time as a refugee living in Nazi Germany, having fled Latvia when the Soviet army invaded. Her family eventually emigrated to Canada where she spent much of her working life before returning to Latvia after the break-up of the Soviet Union. This piece charts the life of the former president as she shares her views on the current security climate facing the Baltic States amid tensions with Russia. NATO is deploying four multinational battlegroups to the Baltics and Poland. The group to be based in Latvia will be led by the Canadians. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga welcomes the news.

Footage includes soundbites from the former president and archive showing Nazi and Soviet rule, generic World War Two shots, footage from Ukraine and still photographs of the former president’s early life.

3,600 Dutch troops are training with other NATO Allies in Poland. They’re taking part in exercise ‘Bison Drawsko’, practising ambush techniques and counter-attacks.

Over 4,500 NATO troops are taking part in an exercise in Poland. Exercise Bison Drawsko is being organized by the Royal Netherlands Army, but also includes soldiers from Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Poland and the United States. The exercise is giving 3,600 Dutch troops the chance to train on unfamiliar terrain and to test forces who will be deploying to Lithuania to support NATO’s enhanced forward presence. The exercise will run until 24 February 2017. The majority of the Dutch troops taking part are from the 43rd Mechanized Brigade. The footage includes various shots of armored vehicles on the training ground and soldiers taking positions in the forest.

This version includes subtitles.

‘He drives tanks and fights the bad guys.’ Meet one of the American tank commanders who headed out to Eastern Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve 2017.

As part of the US’ ongoing operation to reassure Europe, NATO Allies and partner nations, Operation Atlantic Resolve sees the annual deployment of US land forces to Europe. Troops and armored vehicles are being stationed across the region, including to Poland, Romania and the Baltics. These forces have been deployed on a rotational basis since 2014.

A short profile of a US M1 Abrams tank commander of the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, US Army in Poland. He explains the capability of his vehicle and his role in Operation Atlantic Resolve.

This version has music and graphics, no subtitles.

Each man can expect to fire off over 500 rounds a day during marksmanship training, and will repeat drawing and holstering their weapons thousands of times until it becomes second nature.

The Estonian Special Forces are a fairly young unit in the history of the Estonian armed forces, but with highly specialized selection techniques and intensive training they have already proved their worth in NATO operations in Afghanistan.

Footage includes slow motion and drone shots of special forces operators firing at the range.

This version includes music, voiceover and subtitles.

On the 24th February every year, Estonia celebrates independence. A parade is held in the capital Tallinn. This year it was attended by various Allies, including British troops.