This year marks the 7th iteration of the European Air Group’s VOLCANEX Force Protection in its current form as a Command and Control Command Post Exercise. The 2025 edition of VOLCANEX FP C2 CPX, as is the exercise nickname, was held from 9 March until 28 March in Wildflecken, a small village in the north-western corner of Bavaria (Germany) located in the very scenic mountainous region of the Rhoen. The exercise was hosted and greatly assisted by personnel from the Virtual Tactical Training Branch, a subunit of the German Army Combat Simulation Centre. In addition, the German Air Force Detachment at the German Army Infantry School in Hammelburg, located just 40 km to the south of Wildflecken, provided excellent administrative and logistical support. But not only did these two entities played a crucial role for the delivery of this exercise. The European Air Transport Command (EATC) Intelligence Branch, as a reliable partner in the past years, again provided the key work and elements for a realistic and immersive scenario and added huge value through their included FP intelligence training.
After last year’s VOLCANEX FP C2 CPX at the Uppland Air Force Wing in Uppsala, Sweden, a lively university town, the surrounding scenery for the exercise has changed dramatically towards a quiet countryside landscape with hills and forests surrounding Wildflecken. The local barracks, now called the Rhoen-Kaserne, were built in 1937 and later, after the Second World War, used by the US and the German Army. Many buildings are still remaining from this era which also saw the most prominent active-duty US soldier, Elvis Presley, who stayed there in October 1959 during the exercise “Big Lift” that took place in the co-located training area.
But not only has the landscape of the exercise changed. The exercise setting and scenario were updated to reflect a highly realistic operational environment within the Baltic State of Lithuania where the Alliance was challenged by a fictious peer-level opponent. The fictious adversary was conducting extensive efforts to disrupt regional states and competitors across all PMESII domains and continued to use hybrid/asymmetric activities in the Baltic Sea Region. These actions played out in a grey zone below the threshold of a conventional war but saw the employment of non-state actors/non-attributable military force, like private military companies and covert operating special forces, in a clandestine way to deny the adversary state’s involvement.
For the Training Audiences this translated into a complex situation during which not only the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission and its assets needed protection, but also the fictious reinforcement of the enhanced Forward Presence elements in the same area. This, in addition to the BAP mission, occurred via the Main Operating Base (MOB) for which the full spectrum of Air FP in the form of security, protection, and defence had to provide. Thanks to the simulation software VBS4 by Bohemia Interactive Simulations and the expertly skilled simulation centre personnel, the German Airbase Manching, a well-found large airbase with two runways, and its surroundings could be utilised as the main operating base as it was “transplanted” to this northeastern region of central Europe. With that created 3D-simulation set-up all tactical force protection elements were given a wide range of options to move and react in real time to incidents within the tactical area of operations, under the command and control exercised by the TA from the command post.
During the three exercise weeks, over 120 officers and NCOs from the nine EAG member and partner nations, with three nations exercising per week, were confronted with increasingly challenging incidents and situations within the described scenario. Bracketed by an ice-breaker event on Sundays and ending with an informal dinner each Friday evening, the exercise started with Monday mornings filled with introductory and preparatory briefings. From then onwards, with the initial rehearsal of concept drill, used to familiarize all participants with the air base, the command post functions and the handling of the simulated entities in VBS4, ranging from individual or groups of soldiers to different kinds of vehicles and aircraft, the exercise participants showed great enthusiasm and willingness to learn within, for the majority, an unfamiliar multinational environment. From the EAG’s perspective, VOLCANEX FP C2 CPX 25 surely finds its well-deserved place in the pedigree of successfully delivered Force Protection exercises which is clearly confirmed by our “customers’” feedback:
“The exercise was effective in simulating real-world conditions, pushing the CP to think and react under pressure. It also encouraged the members of the CP to maintain a strong ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations.” (SWE Representative)
“VOLCANEX is an excellent opportunity to train and develop personnel in Air FP C2. Furthermore, the multinational nature is critical to ensuring interoperability and common understanding for future operations. The exercise gave participants the opportunity to make mistakes, develop and learn within a safe environment, but equally applied the appropriate amount of pressure to ensure personnel are appropriately trained.” (GBR Representative)
“The VOLCANEX is a well-organized, intelligence-driven exercise with a good mix between theory and practical exercise. In general, there was a good build-up of the exercise with a decent level of coaching.” (BEL Representative)
“VOLCANEX FP 2025 has proven once again to be a key training event, playing a crucial role in enhancing operational integration among allied air forces and boosting response capabilities in high-intensity multinational scenarios.” (ITA Representative)
“The Intel part was the ideal mixture between presence in the command post, analysing documents, and build-in learning moments.” (Intel Training Audience)
“My overall impression is that VOLCANEX 25 exercise had a very interesting scenario and managed to give me tools that I’ll use again.” (Intel Training Audience)
On 27 March 2025, a Distinguished Visitors Day was hosted by EAG personnel and the officer commanding ViTA introducing the Commander of the European Air Transport Command (EATC) Major General Frank Mollard FRA AF and the Deputy Director (DD) of the EAG Brigadier General Patrick Goossens BEL AF to all aspects of this VOLCANEX FP. The EATC supported the EAG VOLCANEX FP with vital intelligence expertise and played a very active role in the success by preparing and updating the intelligence play over the whole exercise period. The location and timing for the VOLCANEX FP C2 CPX 26 has not been decided at this time, but a return to Wildflecken in the coming years is highly likely due to the great support and facilities of the German Army Combat Simulation Center.
