On the 20th of October in Mika Bosnic Barracks in Manjaca, EUFOR and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovnia (AFBiH) held a Distinguished Visitors Day during Exercise Quick Response 15. The event was attended by Dr. Emir Suljagić Deputy Minister of Defence for Policy and Planning and Lieutenant General Anto Jeleč Chief of the Joint Staff of the AFBiH, alongside Commander EUFOR Major General Johann Luif.
Exercise Quick Response 15 is an annual Peace Support Operations exercise, designed to allow EUFOR and AFBiH to train together. It is also part of EUFOR’s training to bring supporting personnel into BiH to assist in the maintenance of a safe and secure environment. Taking part in the event alongside permanent EUFOR personnel from Turkey, Hungary and Austria were additional troops from Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria and Romania. The event featured a Live Demonstration, during which the visitors witnessed a display of Peace Support Operations. The scenario for the display included EUFOR and AFBiH troops conducting crowd and riot control, dealing with minefields and casualty evacuation.
In a statement during the press conference, COM EUFOR Major General Johann Luif said, ‘EUFOR has an Executive Mandate to be ready to support the BiH authorities in the maintenance of a Safe and Secure environment if requested to do so. EUFOR has never been required to do this. However, we must ensure we are prepared to. This exercise is part of EUFOR’s routine training for this Peace Support Operations role. It is true that EUFOR has a small presence in BiH, but the Intermediate Reserve personnel playing their part in this exercise demonstrate we have support if needed.
EUFOR has a commitment to the Capacity Building and Training of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have a training programme running throughout the year in military topics ranging from disaster relief to vehicle maintenance. The benefit of this exercise is that, as you have seen, it allows EUFOR and the AFBiH to put this training into practice together in a realistic multinational environment.’