Today, 24 April 2026, at the Training Camp “Pepelishte”, following the completed activities of the national field exercise “Flash 26” and the conclusion of the final event from the Main Events and Incidents List, the evaluation process of the Light Infantry Battalion Group (LIBG) has been successfully completed, in accordance with the evaluation standards for land commands and units of the NATO Allied Joint Force Command.
At today’s official announcement of the evaluation by the assessment team and NATO monitors, the commander of the LIBG was informed that the unit meets all prescribed standards and has been assessed as “combat-ready to carry out its mission”.
The Senior NATO Monitor, Colonel Christos Stamatiou from the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Greece, stated: “The evaluation of the Light Infantry Battalion Group was conducted in a highly professional and competent manner. All members of the assessment team were fully familiar with the evaluation methods and procedures, in accordance with the relevant NATO documentation. The evaluators, under the continuous and highly effective leadership of the director of the assessment team, used every opportunity to observe the unit’s preparations and activities in the field and to record their observations with precision and objectivity”.
As part of the event, the director of the assessment team, Lieutenant Colonel Goran Kimov, emphasized that it is an honor and a source of pride that the LIBG completed the evaluation with the highest results. “The members of the unit demonstrated excellent performance and met all evaluation criteria and standards”, stated Lieutenant Colonel Kimov.
The announcement of the evaluation was also attended by the Commander of the First Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Dejan Chiplakovski, who expressed his gratitude to all participants in the exercise, as well as to the NATO monitors, for the professionalism demonstrated in carrying out their tasks during the exercise.
With the successful completion of the evaluation, the LIBG confirmed its level of training, high combat readiness, and interoperability with allies, representing a significant contribution to strengthening the capabilities of the Army and NATO.
