Manewry

Manewry is a Polish noun meaning military exercises or maneuvers. In Polish usage, it refers to planned drills conducted by armed forces, police, border guards, or civil defense units to practice tactics, coordination, and readiness. The term is common in defense reporting and media, and in English-language texts it may be left as a loanword or translated as maneuvers or exercises. The word is the plural form of manewr.

The term derives from the same roots as the English “maneuver” and the French “manœuvre,” with the Polish plural form manewry corresponding to the singular manewr. In practice, manewry cover a range of activities, from conventional ground and air operations to simulated combat, reconnaissance, logistics, medical evacuation, and disaster-response scenarios. They can be conducted at the national level or as multinational exercises, and may be regular, annual drills or specially organized tests to evaluate specific capabilities or interoperability with foreign partners, including NATO allies.

Organizationally, manewry are typically coordinated by the Ministry of Defence or national joint commands, with participation from military units as well as civilian agencies such as police and fire services. They are designed to test command and control, communications, and operational procedures under realistic conditions, while also serving to demonstrate capabilities and maintain readiness. See also: Maneuver, Military drill, Civil defense exercise.