Military units from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy successfully completed a large-scale river crossing operation on 28 June as part of ongoing joint military exercises in Germany.

The operation, dubbed the “Great Crossing,” took place at Kalkar, Germany, where forces transported troops and heavy equipment across the Rhine River using specially constructed ferry systems, according to dpa news agency.

The German Bundeswehr reports that approximately 1,200 soldiers and 500 units of military equipment are participating in the two-week training exercise, which began earlier this month and will conclude by the end of next week.

The core of the operation centered on the German-British 130th Bridge-Building Battalion from Minden, which was reinforced by Dutch and Italian company units.

According to military officials, the crossing required several days of detailed preparation and reconnaissance work before forces could construct the ferry crossing points using their own engineering systems.

The exercises will continue with a second major crossing planned over the Weser River near Hamelin in Lower Saxony in the coming days. The Bundeswehr issued safety advisories to civilian observers, instructing them to maintain safe distances from military vehicles during the operations.

The German exercises coincide with broader NATO training activities across Europe. Poland is currently preparing its own multinational military exercises with NATO partners, specifically designed as a response to large-scale Russian-Belarusian military maneuvers known as “West,” which have historically signaled heightened military activity near NATO’s eastern borders and preceded major escalations, such as the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Finland recently concluded hosting the trilateral Arctic Trident exercises from 16-27 June, marking the first time the Nordic country has hosted such operations involving air forces from three major NATO nations since joining the alliance in 2023.