BUJANOVAC (SERBIA). Personnel from NATO Allies and Serbian Armed Forces completed the initial training phase of NATO-Serbia Exercise 2026 (NSE26), at Military Base South and Borovac Training Area, in Serbia.
Phase one focused on individual and collective functional training at different levels, including the exercise Higher Control (HICON) Headquarters, key leaders and supporting staff. Approximately 600 troops from the Serbian Armed Forces and six NATO countries: Italy, Romania, Türkiye, as well as France, Montenegro, and United States participated during the initial phase of this exercise. with the goal of meeting 83 training objectives.
Theses objectives encompassed tactical-level training activities in support to real-world peace keeping operations. Platoons from Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye, honed their skills-set on a range of activities, such as non-lethal military police tactics and motorized and airmobile force protection, amongst others.
Platoons refined their tactics independently and integrated with other nation’s platoons demonstrating the practicality and shared understanding of a one-team mindset.
“I’m immensely proud about that effort my company spent training beside other nations during the last week. We’ve worked all together learning from each other, we’ve improved our relationship and I believe we trained as a strong team, said Italian Company Commander, Capt. Sara Maria Tigano, 3rd Infantry Company, 9th Infantry Regiment “Bari”.
In the HICON, additional NATO members from France, Montenegro, and the United States seamlessly integrated into the command-and-control centre translating guidance and direction into orders for the platoons to execute.
“It was impressive to watch interoperability take shape at all levels during the initial phase of the exercise. The commitment and professionalism each unit brought here to South Base has made for an incredibly effective team. As a U.S. service member, I am especially proud to witness this historical moment firsthand and see how strong we can be together,” said HICON Operations Officer, 2nd Lt. Scott Keeling, 121st Security Forces Squadron, Ohio Air Nation Guard.
Following phase one, NSE26 will culminate in a fictitious Peace Support Operation scenario that will test the units’ collective training and ability to integrate in response to a crisis in a realistic and controlled environment, which will run from today to 22 May 2026.
“Units from the SAF and NATO have successfully finished the first phase of the multinational tactical exercise NATO-Serbia. So far, the commitment and performance of the TCNs [troop contributing nations] were excellent; we have improved our tactics and skills significantly. The second phase is going to be even more challenging for the units, but in the spirit of our joint activities so far, I believe the exercise aims and objectives will be fulfilled,” said HICON Commander, Lt.Col. Vladica Stanković, Serbian Armed Forces.
NSE26 is the first NATO-Serbia joint military exercise, organized by the Serbian Armed Forces and Allied Joint Force Command Naples with the aim to strengthen the level of inter-operability between the troops involved, boost practical cooperation between NATO and Serbia, and contribute to the consolidation of regional stability.
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