01.04.2014.

International Exercise "Viking 14" commences

In the Centre for Simulations and Distance Learning today, "Viking 14” international computer-assisted command post exercise commenced. The aim of the ten-day exercise is to improve the level of training of civilians, military and police to work together in a unique multifunctional and multinational environment.

The opening event of the exercise was attended by Brigadier General Slavoljub Janicijevic, Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Goran Zekovic, Chief of the Training and Doctrine Command (J -7) and Colonel Zoran Lucic, Head of the Centre for Simulations and Distance Learning.

The guests were welcomed by Colonel Lucic, who is Director for the part of the exercise in Serbia and host at the same time.

General Zekovic, officer for the exercise planning, wished welcome to the remote site of the Serbia "Viking 14" exercise, expressing great satisfaction that the implementation of the multinational distributed computer-assisted command post exercise commenced after long preparations.

- This year, it is for the first time that the Republic of Serbia organizes the distributed site for the "Viking" exercise in which the exercise command of the multinational brigade, police component at the company level and offices of international national organizations have been established, General said. He added that in Serbia, as well as in the other four distributed site nations (Sweden, Ireland, Bulgaria, Georgia) all elements of exercise management and support elements were established, emphasizing that data exchange in both directions in real time with the Main Site in the Kingdom of Sweden, with operational training elements of the military, civilian and police components, have been ensured.

- The very concept of the exercise involves planning and conducting a UN mandated Chapter VII peace operation in an unstable environment and based on a comprehensive approach, focusing on cooperation and coordination with all relevant actors, understanding their interdependencies and relations, General Zekovic said, noting that this exercise is a great experience for members of the Serbian Armed Forces, because while responding they must take into account all the specificities of police, security and humanitarian forces on the ground which results in the improvement of training level of the civilian, military and police exercising elements, joint action in a multidimensional environment where participants in the exercise develop skills so that they can meet the current and future security challenges, risks and threats, which is the goal of the exercise.

"Comprehensive approach" that is the motto of the exercise, is realised exactly by engaging of all three elements (military, police and civilians) as this is the only way to simulate the environment complexity which is encountered in the real peacekeeping mission. Considering that this is an international exercise, which is attended by more than 2,500 participants from 40 countries and 35 organizations, the scenario is unique. According to him, the exercise takes place in an imaginary country Bogalend, with a fictional political, historical, socio-economic, military and humanitarian background, which allows the engagement of forces under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Each participating country has its own exercising elements for which it develops its own training objectives.

The main organizer of the exercise is Sweden with the support of the United States. On the distributed site in Serbia, 164 representatives of the Serbian Armed Forces, the Police, the Red Cross of Serbia, international organizations (UN, OSCE, and the International Committee of the Red Cross), the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, and about 30 members of foreign armed forces from 11 countries are taking part. They practice the work in the command of a multinational brigade and standard operating procedures, which they need for the staff duties in the unit commands in the UN missions.

This year's exercise “Viking 14" is the seventh in a series. Sweden and the United States initiated conducting of the first exercise of this type for the first time in 1999 at the summit on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of NATO. Since then, the "Viking" is organised every two to three years and therefore rightly manages to maintain the status of a largest multinational computer-assisted exercise.

General Ljubisa Dikovic, Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, with members of his collegium visited the Site of "Viking 14" and the participants in the exercise.