Today, at the “Jane Sandanski” military barracks in Shtip, in the presence of the Minister of Defense, Mr. Vlado Misajlovski, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, the Commander of the Operations Command, Brigadier General Mirche Gjorgoski, and the Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Dejan Chiplakovski, a formal formation ceremony was held for the designated forces that took part in the exercise “Saber Junction 2025 (SJ-25)”. The exercise was conducted from August 25 to September 21, 2025, in Hohenfels, Germany, under the organization of USAREUR-AF.
Minister Misajlovski, addressing the exercise participants, emphasized his pride in their professionalism and dedication. “All of you have demonstrated that you are true professionals, motivated, skilled, and competent. When we sent you to this exercise, I told you to prove that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies and demonstrate our quality. You have completely justified my trust, every single one of you,” stated the Minister. Minister Misajlovski also expressed gratitude for the support provided by the United States in the realization of this exercise.
“All of you have made history and should be proud. You enabled us to test key elements that are of great importance in the processes of planning, command, and control during the execution of tasks outside the territory of our country. This is only one part of the path we are moving forward on, and with this success, I have no doubt that next year, during the evaluation of the combat readiness of the Light Infantry Battalion Group, our main and priority NATO capability goal, we will achieve excellent results,” emphasized General Lafchiski, while also expressing gratitude for the support from the American side, the Ministry of Defense, and the Government.
As part of today’s activity, a debriefing was also conducted with the key personnel of the reinforced company that participated in the multinational exercise SJ-25 in Germany.
During the “Saber Junction 2025” exercise, a part of the Light Infantry Battalion Group was engaged as the primary element, including the necessary components for real logistic support, as well as the required number of vehicles and technical equipment.
The exercise fully achieved its objective, the development of professional and capable combat units able to maintain a stable and secure environment and to provide an appropriate response to threats to national security.
