BELGRADE, Serbia – The sixth Regional Collective Training Event Planning Workshop in support of Regional Exercise 18 took place September 4 to 7, in Belgrade, Serbia.
REGEX is a NATO-supported opportunity for partner countries to plan and conduct an exercise from beginning to end and is tailored to their specific training requirements. Serbia has taken the lead for REGEX 18 following Bosnia and Herzegovina (REGEX 16) and Jordan (REGEX 17) as Partner Nations.
An Allied Joint Force Command Naples Plans and Military Partnership Branch REGEX team, headed by French Army Lieutenant Colonel Christophe Le Cerf, mentored this sixth Workshop where 45 participants from 16 Partner Countries from all the Partnership Frameworks and 8 officers from the Host Nation took part.
As Colombian military officers, REGEX 18 has been an enriching experience, because it was a good opportunity to attend and learn in a different way the exercise planning process so as to be able to carry out military exercises and train troops of all levels,” said Colombian Lieutenant Colonel Raul Rodriguez Gallego, participant. "In addition, it was a good opportunity to learn NATO procedures and standards, while we were practicing in each stage of the exercise planning process. Furthermore, we were able to strengthen our interoperability with the other nations taking part.”
Over the period of October 8 to 19, JFC Naples is planning to conduct the final REGEX 18 workshop and then the exercise Execution Phase will take place. The REGEX initiative supports NATO objectives by making Partners familiar with NATO procedures, building trust and understanding for better cooperation in the region and promoting increased interoperability.
Story by JFC Naples J9 Military Partnership Branch