Spanish Brigade Task Force 'Alpha' and UNIFIL Force Commander Reserve exchange procedures

• Spanish and Finnish units exchange procedures to improve interoperability between them.

Deployed reserves must be able to work in coordination to assume and relieve management of an incident at any given time in the area of operations. In order to facilitate this potential scenario, Task Force Alpha (TF-A) deployed for four days to the Force Commander Reserve (FCR) main base, United Nations Position 9-1.

TF-A is one of two reserves available in UNIFIL Sector East.  It is a squadron entity and is based on a section of the 'Reyes Catolicos' Light Armoured Cavalry Group, II of the Legion.

For its part, the FCR is the reserve at the disposal of the UNIFIL Force Commander and is made up of a Finnish infantry company and a French cavalry squadron.

The activities carried out included the exchange of combat procedures in built-up areas with armoured vehicles, the presentation of the resources and capabilities of both reserves, the use of dog teams in an environment requiring explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) equipment and a tabletop exercise simulating the development and management of an incident, as well as relays between the successive reserves: Battalion Mobile Reserve (BMR), Sector Mobile Reserve (SMR), in this case the TF-A, and the FCR.

The objective of the collaboration was successfully achieved and the mutual knowledge and interoperability of the reserves in the area of operations was improved in order to operate at full capacity wherever ordered, without counting the days, months or years. All this with the aim of responding to any contingency that may affect the development of the mission, in compliance with the United Nations mandate.