A change of scene

There are changes that raise more hope than others, and the 10th Brigade "Guzmán el Bueno" will agree with this statement. This unit is the one which has generated the second rotation that Spain is going to provide to eFP: Enhanced Forward Presence ("Presencia Avanzada Reforzada" in Spanish), NATO's mission in Latvia. It will be deployed in January, transfering authority to its partners of the 11th Brigade "Extremadura", who opened this new stage and came back with a very positive balance about this experience.

Both share a common past as mechanized brigades which give to this mission a special attraction due to the fact that, for the first time, they include their combat Leopard and Pizarro vehicles in an international environment: "the fact of using aids which we daily employ in our instructions has meant an advantage", admitted Lieutenant Colonel Tarifa, chief of the contingent. Because of that, many of them feel that this mission is the fulfillment to the job of all these years.

Lately, the Brigade with base in Córdoba had had Lebanon as the only international destination, where the oldest ones of this place have been 4 or even 5 times. For this reason, it is reasonable the fact that they wanted to "know a new stage, a new country with different people and cultures", explains Commandant Jansa, followed by the second chief of the International Tactic Group, which has three missions in cedar's country. Furthermore, in Latvia, they are going to have a great opportunity to do so, because they are going to be part of the most international Battle Group (BG) from the four that the NATO has deployed in the Baltic States and Poland, and under the Canadian Command, not headed by a sector of the operation. However, there is not doubt, it is significant.

This new stage has also meant other innovations in the way the preparation is focused. In this occassion, the conventional combat has been more relevant compared to other missions where the control of the area and the fight against insurgency were the main commitments. Inside the instruction in general combat, it has been given a huge effort to the deffensive part of the conventional combat, because it is the most probable line of action that could be presented in Latvia. This way, it can be considered "a wide preparation" points out the Commandant.

Another aspect that has been deeply studied, for instance, is cyberdefense. The instruction and preparation in this branch and the awareness of its dangers have been a prominent aspect in the organization of the military personnel, whose families and friends have been also informed about its risks.

The other "enemy" to have into account has been the cold, and how it affects when the time of fighting arrives or in the maintenance of vehicles. It is not an unknown element for the Brigade, due to the fact that the dates of their deployments to Lebanon used to coincide with Winter when usually it snows, however, they received some days of instruction to adapt themselves to the cold, taught by the personnel of the Academy of Military Mountains and Special Operations.