NATO maneuver “steadfast defender”
The largest NATO maneuver since the Cold War.
90,000 soldiers from the air force, army and navy practice emergencies. Almost all 32 NATO states were involved.
For the first time, the Bundeswehr is allowing film support of this maneuver. We start in Copenhagen on a particularly explosive mission for ZDF. My cameraman Silas Koch and I. The DONAU tender forms the leadership of an international mine defense association in the Baltic Sea. The associations operate in the far north, as far as Central and Eastern Europe. Towards the Russian maritime border.
We had barely been on the road for a day before we were already being watched. Although we were still in international waters in the Baltic Sea, we were able to see the silhouettes of Russian naval suppliers on the horizon despite poor weather and visibility. They moved in a large group.
The commander of the DONAU, Lieutenant Commander Stefan Huber, is well prepared for an emergency with his crew of almost 100 men on board. The supplier was armed with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, naval light rifles and machine guns. “Only for self-defense,” said the commander. In addition to 780,000 liters of diesel fuel, the DONAU also had provisions, 150 tons of ammunition, material and fresh water on board to supply the accompanying NATO association on the high seas. Refueling took hours.
Commander Huber:
“Of course there is a possibility that the Russian Navy will provoke reactions, that definitely exists. We as the armed forces must always be ready, that is our democratic obligation, also towards our NATO alliance.”
Tension on board among the crew, but also among us. Because of a possible Russian threat.
The crew was generally woken up at seven in the morning via loudspeakers that blared throughout the ship and our day of filming was not over until dinner time, around 6 p.m. The chambers with the bunk beds are not comfortable, but functional. For two days we had waves up to 3.30m high and filming was very difficult. It was hardly possible to get a lot of sleep during the maneuver week, given all the training alarms and weather influences.
Everyday life on the warship was closely timed with shooting exercises, turning maneuvers, exercises such as fire on board, as well as the constant exchange of the accompanying warships in the NATO association. The connection to the association was also maintained by helicopters, which repeatedly thundered over our lead ship or landed on the flight deck. We were also able to accompany an operation on the high seas with the fast support boat, also known as the Gecko. The small escort boats were used to exchange people and material between the association on the high seas.
We had to put on the heavy orange survival suits with the life jackets. Which took some time. But they keep you very warm.
We experienced a highly motivated team and felt very safe and at ease in this team despite the circumstances. The camaraderie on board was indescribable. Finally, after six days at sea, we reached Stockholm and the supplier first had to pick up materials, fuel and food. After three days, the DONAU continued its journey towards the Gulf of Finland. This time to supply an even larger NATO association.