Home  /  Newsroom  /  News  /  2022  /  French soldiers attend survival training in Estonian woodland

SZCZECIN, Poland - On 26-28 July, French soldiers attended survival training conducted in the remote areas of northern Estonia. This rigorous, yet safe-oriented course saw the French service members with NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Estonia and their Estonian partners with the Estonian 1st Infantry Brigade honing the skills necessary to operate in the Baltic Sea environment.

French service members stationed in Estonia took a special survival course in the Soodla training camp. The soldiers from France and Estonia sharpened their woodland survival skills and learned so-called green tactics. Throughout the training, they prepared special camouflaged forest camps and trained swamp and water obstacles traversal using only basic methods.

Conducted in northern Estonia, this particular survival training offered a glimpse into what it would take to adapt to combat in an environment that is both physically and mentally taxing / Photo by the French Army

The Estonian allies from the Tapa-based 1st Infantry Brigade shared their comprehensive knowledge on survival skills which are most useful in the terrain and weather conditions typical for the Baltic Sea region. The soldiers had to operate in complete isolation from logistic support and other troops. Great emphasis was therefore put on food and water acquisition using only basic equipment that soldiers carry on them. The training also focused on setting makeshift camps, kindling fire, food preparation etc. The aim was to test the soldiers' endurance and ensure that they are well-prepared to operate in an unknown and rough terrain.

The training included medical evacuation with improvised stretchers and transporting the wounded over rivers utilising rope crossing methods. The Estonians taught their French allies about the terrain features of the region where they operate and could draw on their fellow soldiers' knowledge of mountain survival skills in exchange.

Against the backdrop of the northern Baltic, with its unique climate and difficult terrain, survival can depend on the way a soldier conducts his or her tasks, techniques and procedures  / Photo by the French Army