Dutch Army officer killed during training exercise in Germany

One Dutch military officer was killed and a soldier was killed and a soldier was injured during an international training exercise in Germany. The incident took place on Tuesday at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, where NATO allies are helping to prepare the German Army's 41st Panzergrenadier Brigade.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense said a 28-year-old with the rank of first lieutenant was seriously injured during an exercise involving the CV90, an armored infantry fighting vehicle. A 24-year-old soldier was also hurt, but his injuries were minor.

The officer was revived at the scene and both victims were taken to an area hospital. The first lieutenant died from his injuries at the medical facility, the Ministry of Defense said. The incident is being investigated by the Marechaussee military branch, and the case is being led by the Public Prosecution Service for Oost-Nederland.

"Touched by the news that one of our soldiers was killed during an exercise in Germany. My thoughts go out to his loved ones and colleagues," said Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. Both soldiers were serving with the Army's 43rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade at the time of the incident. The group is based in Havelte, Drenthe.

They were participating in the U.S. Army's Allied Sprint 24, a month-long exercise to train the German brigade. "Approximately 6,500 participants from NATO Allied and partner nations are participating in the exercise. Exercise participants are from countries including Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.," said the U.S. Army.

The Dutch participants were also using the exercise to mainly focus on an upcoming deployment to Lithuania as part of NATO Enhanced Forward Presence, the Dutch government said.