SARAJEVO, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The "Immediate Response 26" external evaluation exercise for declared units of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) will be held on Oct. 19-23 at the Manjaca Main Training Ground, the Ministry of Defense of BiH said on Wednesday.
The exercise aims to assess and enhance the operational capabilities of AFBiH declared units and reevaluate their training and equipment levels in line with NATO standards, the ministry said.
A total of 881 AFBiH personnel will take part in the exercise, while an additional 330 personnel from the AFBiH and NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples will participate in the exercise directorate and evaluation structure.
Conducted under NATO's Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback, the exercise will assess seven areas, including preparation, planning and design, operations, sustainment, command, control and communications, force protection, and information flow.
The exercise will include computer-assisted simulation and field training with opposing forces to enhance the capabilities of AFBiH command structures and units in planning and conducting peace support operations.
The ministry described the exercise as the largest and most complex AFBiH exercise in 2026 in terms of scale, organizational complexity and international cooperation, and one of the key priorities for operational capability training and evaluation. ■