Moldova to Host Multinational Peace Shield 2024 Exercise

The National Army says the exercise will run from 17 to 28 June. Representatives of the institution say that the purpose of the exercise is to assess the 22nd Blue Helmets peacekeeping battalion in accordance with the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC), realitatea.md reports. ‘The military will be tested by national and international experts while performing actions typical of international peacekeeping missions, such as: patrolling, convoying and escorting, inspecting vehicles at checkpoints, ensuring the security of strategic facilities, medical evacuation, as well as providing first aid,’ the Defense Ministry said in the statement. Representatives of the institution specify that at the same time, the National Army will hold a training course for assessors, which aims at training soldiers of the assessment procedures and correctness in accordance with the Operational Capabilities Concept. ‘The course will train 37 assessors from Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, South Korea, France, Georgia, Germany, Jordan, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, the UK, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, the US, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine. The OCC certification is a prerequisite for the participation of the National Army in peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN, including KFOR in Kosovo and UNIFIL in Lebanon. The National Army joined the OCC program in 2007,’ the Defense Ministry said. The Defense Ministry also reminds that in connection with preparations for the ‘Fire Shield 2024’ exercise, several transfers of military equipment from the places of permanent deployment to the National Army Training Centre via national roads will take place during June.