Serbia Launches First-ever Joint Exercise With NATO
- 13.05.2026, 13:11
The maneuvers will last until May 23.
Serbia has started its first-ever joint military exercises with NATO, which will last until May 23, the republic's Defense Ministry reported. According to it, a total of 600 servicemen from Serbia, Italy, Romania and Turkey will take part in the maneuvers. Observers from several countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, including the US, Britain, France and Germany, will monitor the events. The exercise will take place at the Borovac training range near the town of Bujanovac in the south of the country. They are tactical in nature and their aim is to exchange experience.
"During the two-week field exercise, tactics, methods and procedures used in peacekeeping operations will be practiced, such as base security, working at checkpoints, crowd control and urban combat," the Serbian military said. It added that the maneuvers represent a continuation of "mutually beneficial, concrete and transparent cooperation between Serbia and NATO in the framework of the Partnership for Peace program". At the same time, the ministry emphasized that the North Atlantic Alliance respects the country's military neutrality.
The fact that Serbia will hold joint exercises with NATO was announced by President of the Republic Alexander Vucic in March, presenting the national development strategy. He emphasized that the military exercises would contribute to "preserving peace and stability, ensuring the security of our country." He noted, however, that Belgrade "zealously preserves its military neutrality and builds good relations with everyone."
In March 2022, Vucic said Serbia would not join NATO because it remembers the bombing of Yugoslavia. On March 24, 1999, NATO launched the military operation "Allied Force" against the country without the authorization of the UN Security Council. Its reason was officially the Yugoslav government's refusal to settle the conflict peacefully, which did not allow stopping war crimes and ethnic cleansing. The bombing of Serbian cities lasted 78 days, until June 10, 1999. According to Belgrade, about 2,000 people were victims of the bombings. Also, according to the Serbian authorities, the North Atlantic Alliance caused $542 billion in damage to the country.