Beja Air Base, the headquarters of Real Thaw 2022 (RT2022), has already started to welcome the first participants of the exercise.

Seven countries will be present at the RT22: Portugal, Belgium, Spain, the United States, France, Lithuania and the Netherlands, with about a thousand soldiers expected. 378 military personnel have started the in-processing phase, so far.

In-processing is composed of different administrative phases that may vary depending on the logistical needs of the participants. This process is important, as it is the first impression that all participants have of the organization of the exercise.

The military committed to RT22 say they have good expectations, saying that they hope to “improve interoperability with participating countries” and that “it is a privilege to be able to work with different armed forces, observe and understand how they work.”

These expectations are in line with the main objective of the exercise, which is to prepare soldiers from the Air Force, the Navy and the Army, and from the participating countries, to act in joint and combined operations, enhancing interoperability between them all.

The multinational exercise will take place between June 26th and July 8th and has the participation of 54 aircraft and national forces from the Air Force, the Navy and the Army.