Our Soldiers Test Their Emergency Response Skills during EUFOR Exercise

‘Strength in unity’ was the theme of EUFOR Althea’s largest exercise this year, Quick Response 2025. On the final day of the exercise, a dynamic demonstration was held at Camp Butmir in Sarajevo for the leaders of the 25 participating nations, including Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza, to showcase the mission forces’ readiness.

The European Union’s peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR Althea, has been holding an exercise every year since 2012. The annual exercise called Quick Response has been held once again this year to demonstrate the readiness of the mission forces and thus their commitment to maintaining a peaceful and secure environment.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

The exercise, which began on September 9, covered the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In addition to EUFOR’s permanent forces, reserve elements activated for the exercise, including a Hungarian maneuver company and Hungarian soldiers assigned to the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR Tactical Reserve Battalion, also participated.

The exercise concluded on September 26 with a dynamic demonstration of the multinational force’s key capabilities in a fictitious crowd control scenario.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

Hungarian, Turkish, Italian, Albanian, North Macedonian, and Czech soldiers took part in dispersing the rioting crowd and dismantling the barricades they had built, with the latter also using patrol dogs in the operation.

The “protesters” also used improvised explosive devices against the peacekeepers, which were neutralized by the mission’s bomb disposal experts.

In addition, the Czech medical team demonstrated its air medical evacuation capabilities, that was crucial during the 2024 Hungarian command year.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

“The essence of the exercise is to demonstrate unity among nations. Our countries are joining forces to help the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina build their future and move forward. Because this exercise is not just about strategies and tactics, it is about people.

Every move, every operation serves the purpose of providing protection and security for Bosnia and Herzegovina and, by extension, for the Western Balkans,”

said Major General Florin-Marian Barbu, commander of EUFOR, in his opening speech.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

Luigi Soreca, the European Union’s Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, recalled that “the European Union firmly believes that EUFOR’s presence continues to play a key role in maintaining the stability and security of the country and will therefore support the operation’s presence for as long as necessary.”

On the day of the presentation, Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza, Deputy Chief of Staff for Territorial Defense of the Hungarian Defense Forces, told the Hungarian personnel: “Soldiers are important to us. Capability development is progressing well, and the quantity and quality of military equipment is increasing, but we are aware that capability is not just about hardware. Capability is about people, us soldiers, and our training,” he emphasized at the staff meeting.

In his speech, he also touched on the most important domestic events, including the experiences of the Adaptive Hussars 2025 national defense exercise. He also spoke about how the military leadership is striving to improve the conditions in which soldiers perform their duties on a daily basis, thereby thanking them for their service.

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