A major multinational exercise is underway in Germany as Dutch and German armed forces converge on the Güz Altmark training area for Bastion Lion, a high-intensity combat training operation involving over 4,000 troops and 1,800 military vehicles.
The deployment marks one of the largest Dutch-led tactical movements in recent years, with months of detailed logistical preparation behind it.
Convoys have been moving steadily along German roads, but the scale of the operation extends far beyond what is visible to the public. “What the average person doesn’t see is the nearly year-long planning phase that preceded Bastion Lion,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jon van Weelden, head of the Large Exercises Section of the Royal Netherlands Army. “Normally, we need two years to prepare for something of this magnitude. We were so pressed for time that I considered the Christmas break a disruptive interruption.”
According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the exercise is not only a tactical test of maneuver forces but a demonstration of logistical execution, operational flexibility, and multinational interoperability. Two mechanized infantry battalions from the Netherlands — the 17th and 42nd of the 13th Light Brigade — are taking part alongside Germany’s Panzergrenadierbataillon 391.
During the exercise, the battalions are conducting a sustained attack on a simulated urban area, supported by Dutch and German combat engineers, artillery units, and short-range air defense elements. The scenario is designed to reflect modern battlefield conditions and place heavy demands on real-time coordination, combined arms integration, and force sustainment.
Bastion Lion is a clear signal of the growing emphasis NATO nations are placing on large-scale, high-readiness joint operations within Europe. The exercise also highlights the close cooperation between Dutch and German ground forces under the framework of bilateral defense integration and NATO interoperability standards.