Special Operations Forces (SOF) from 13 NATO Allies and partners converged in Denmark for Night Hawk 21, a dynamic exercise that tested the ability of these elite forces to work together, gather intelligence and launch raids.
Hosted by Denmark’s Special Operations Command, Night Hawk 21 tested the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC), a trilateral headquarters established by Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands that can command several special operations task groups. During the exercise, operators practised executing traditional SOF missions – counter-terrorism, for example – while working through the mission planning process with other countries. The field exercise took place throughout Denmark from 27 September to 7 October 2021.
Footage includes shots of troops from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine and the United Kingdom executing raids during the exercise, as well as an interview with Royal Danish Army Major General Peter Boysen, commander of the Danish Special Operations Command and C-SOCC.
Transcript
(00:00) WIDE SHOTS: UNITED KINGDOM SPECIAL FORCES AND UKRAINIAN SPECIAL PURPOSE UNIT STORMING OIL RIG
(00:20) VARIOUS SHOTS: UK AND UKRAINIAN TROOPS MOVING THROUGH OIL RIG INTERIOR
(00:47) MEDIUM SHOT: TROOPS MOVING SIMULATED DETAINEE
(00:52) VARIOUS SHOTS: UK AND UKRAINIAN TROOPS WAITING FOR HELICOPTER EXFILTRATION
(01:25) VARIOUS SHOTS: TROOPS BOARDING CH-47 HELICOPTER AND TAKING OFF
(01:40) VARIOUS SHOTS: ROYAL DANISH AIR FORCE FENNEC HELICOPTERS TAKING OFF
(02:13) VARIOUS SHOTS: ROYAL DANISH ARMY JAEGER CORPS OPERATORS BOARDING GERMAN ARMY CH-53G HELICOPTER WITH DOG
(03:06) VARIOUS SHOTS: GERMAN CREW MEMBERS AND DANISH JAEGERS IN HELICOPTER EN ROUTE TO SIMULATED TARGET
(03:45) VARIOUS SHOTS: DANISH JAEGERS ATTACKING A SIMULATED TARGET
(04:54) VARIOUS SHOTS: AUSTRIAN SPECIAL FORCES PERFORM A SIMULATED VEHICLE INTERDICTION
(05:28) SOUNDBITE (DANISH) – MAJOR GENERAL PETER BOYSEN, COMMANDER, DANISH SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND AND COMPOSITE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMPONENT COMMAND (C-SOCC)
“The exercise is called Nighthawk 2021 and it is an exercise for special operations forces designed to train our task groups.”
(05:36) SOUNDBITE (DANISH) – MAJOR GENERAL PETER BOYSEN, COMMANDER, DANISH SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND AND COMPOSITE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMPONENT COMMAND (C-SOCC)
“Around the exercise, I would also like to say that it is a relatively complicated exercise because we train in several domains. We train in the air domain, of course, because we have up to 40 aircraft supporting the exercise. We train in the land domain. We train in the maritime domain, and then we train in the cyber domain. And then we try and combine everything so that it becomes relatively complicated, but it actually goes really well, but it is important that we get it trained.”
(06:03) SOUNDBITE (DANISH) – MAJOR GENERAL PETER BOYSEN, COMMANDER, DANISH SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND AND COMPOSITE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMPONENT COMMAND (C-SOCC)
“First of all, they learn to work together. And it has a value in itself. The second thing they also learned, it’s like they’re learning from each other. That is to say, if someone has some TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures), as we call it some procedures, then we can share them with each other. And then it is also the case when you have trained together, then it is also fine when you go on operations, because then you know about each other.”
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