At the army training area “Krivolak” within the exercise “Balkan Flash 2010” today was held Distinguished Visitors Day, at which tactical exercise with live firing “reinforced mechanized infantry battalion in attack” was performed.
Apart from the mechanized infantry battalion of the first mechanized infantry brigade, also present on the exercise were the Combat Helicopter Squadron (Mi-24) from the composition of the Air Wing, the artillery – missile battery from the composition of Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion and units for logistical support. Besides the practical application of tactics and procedures for conducting offensive combat actions, on “Krivolak”, they also demonstrated their readiness to perform different firing with infantry and artillery weapons, and through program shooting they demonstrated close air support to the Mechanized Infantry Battalion.
The director of exercise Mitre Stoyanov has informed that 1,200 participants were involved in the exercise and have spent large amounts of live ammunition and engaged over 200 vehicles and other military equipment. The exercise was attended by representatives of 13 member countries of the Partnership for Peace and NATO.
– All planned activities on the exercise are fully realized, and the goal also is to achieve the final evaluation which is expected to be positive, said Stoyanov, stressing that the evaluation is done by teams from ARM, one team for mainland and another for the Air Force.
Defence Minister Konjanovski, who was present at Krivolak emphasized that Macedonia is even today ready to be a full member of NATO.
– We saw organization, power, response to what reform means. Often talked about, but today we witnessed what it means to have successfully implemented reforms in a Ministry of Defence i.e. ARM. As a citizen of the Republic of Macedonia I am proud of what I saw from the ARM members, said Konjanovski.
He said that today’s exercise aim is evaluation of the Medium Infantry Battalion and two companies of the Ranger Battalion, Special Operations Regiment, Military Police and the Helicopter Detachment. According to him the evaluations will be very good.
The Defence Minister clarified that the exercise activity was planned for a year, and such activities, announcements, there will also be for other units that will be certified for participation in peacekeeping missions outside the Republic of Macedonia.
Chief of General Staff Miroslav Stojanovski, who followed the exercise, said to all participants and present that he was proud of all members of the Army for everything what in the past days, months and years have demonstrated and have achieved.
-This is a process that takes a long time. Today we could witness all the skills of the members of the units involved in the assessment. It is too early to come to a conclusion about what will be, but based on past and what we showed today, I think that the evaluations will be positive and the declared units will receive the required certificate for participation in missions outside the Republic of Macedonia, said Stojanovski.
The exercise “Balkan Flash 2010” is taking place from October 24 until tomorrow at the Army Training Area “Krivolak”, in the Training Center “Pepelishte”, in barracks “Ilinden” in Skopje and “Jane Sandanski” in Stip, and the Airport “Petrovec”.
The scenario of the exercise “Balkan Flash 2010” had no intention to present an existing world situation, or a planned situation. According to the scenario, the events took place in a fictional country Kamberija located in the South Sea region. Kamberija is a state composed of two provinces with a total population of three million. With the Constitution of 1995 was established as a new democratic country, with not a very strong central government, and in the period of transition with deep social and political divisions. The mission of the exercise was to prevent any violence between the two sides and to provide conditions for the return of displaced persons. It represents a continuation of the exercise “Macedonian Flash” and during it, NATO-assessment LEVEL 2 – KREVAL is conducted. The exercise includes more than 1,200 members of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, and major participants are the declared Medium Infantry Battalion of the First Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the declared Military Police Company of the Battalion of the military police, the declared company for deep observation from the Special Operations Regiment, as well as the declared Helicopter detachment of the Air Wing.