BANJA LUKA, Bosnia and Herzegovina – A large NATO evaluation team assessed eight units from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Armed Forces according to NATO standards from May 16 – 20, 2016.

Under the leadership of Italian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Gianluca Curtarelli from Allied Joint Force Command Naples, the team evaluated an infantry company, logistics company, military police platoon, engineer platoon, signal platoon, artillery battery, civil-military cooperation team, and a human intelligence team.

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with Operational Capability Concept Evaluation and Feedback (OCC E&F) methodology, providing further improvement of interoperability and ability to contribute to NATO-led operations. 

The OCC E&F as part of NATO’s Military Outreach Policy, is a mutually beneficial and important tool to modernize the defense forces of Partners and to contribute to ongoing capacity building efforts in NATO as well.

JFC Naples supported the event providing an evaluation director, a deputy evaluation director, four team leaders and four subject matter experts. In consideration of the complexity of the evaluation and the number of units to evaluate, the JFC Naples team was reinforced by 2 team leaders from JFC Brunssum and team leaders and evaluators from partner countries: Serbia, *The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Austria, Finland, Montenegro, and BiH.

Story and photos by Allied Joint Force Command Naples J9 Military Partnership Branch

* Turkey recognizes The Republic of Macedonia with its Constitutional name