Based on the inter-army cooperation with the Armed Forces of Canada, during the period of 29 January until 9 February, 2024, a course on the exercise planning process (Exercise Planning Process Course – EPPC 2401) was held in Skopje. A total of 37 attendees from the Armies of the Republic of North Macedonia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the course organized by the Directorate for Military Training and Cooperation from the Canadian Armed Forces, while the instructors were members of the Armies of Georgia and Ukraine, and the chief instructor was Colonel Ivica Cvetkovski from the Operations Command.
The course is designed to develop an understanding of NATO’s exercise planning process under collective training and exercise directive 75-3 (Bi-SCD 075-003), the basic principles, methods and requirements that would play an important role in the planning and execution of exercises. It is realized through theoretical lectures and practical work where the participants were divided into groups. At the end, they presented their work in front of the entire audience.
During the closing of the course, the Director of the General Staff, Brigadier General Simeon Trajkovski, and the Director of the Directorate of Military Training and Cooperation from the Canadian Armed Forces awarded certificates to the participants.
This course represents the beginning of the planning of the exercise “Maple Arch 24”, which will be conducted in the period from 25 November – 06 December, 2024 at the Simulation Center in Veles.
In the period from 12-14 February, 2024 a Conference on the exercise specification was held in continuation of the course, and within the planning process for the exercise “Maple Archs 24”.
