On the morning of the 13th of October, the personnel from across Europe taking part in Exercise Quick Response 15 gathered for the opening ceremony of the exercise. Soldiers from the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary all paraded in Camp Butmir, watched by COM EUFOR Major General Johann Luif. The ceremony lasted 30 minutes and consisted of a welcome given by Major General Luif and a short briefing on the exercise given by Chief of Staff EUFOR Brigadier General Zoltán Mihócza.
Speaking during the parade, Major General Luif said,
‘I warmly welcome all the nations who are contributing to this exercise. Your presence here confirms the commitment of the European Union nations to EUFOR, and your full commitment is vital to the success of the exercise’
International Collaboration
Exercise Quick Response 2015 is a Peace Support Operations Exercise between EUFOR and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH). It features the Intermediate Reserve forces of EUFOR, training their ability to join EUFOR and contribute to any tasks involving the maintenance of a safe and secure environment within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The exercise is also a fundamental part of the combined training schedule between the AFBiH and EUFOR. The main effort of EUFOR is the Capacity Building and Training of the AFBiH, and exercises such as this one are part of this long term commitment.