Press conference on details regarding NATO Crisis Management Exercise

National co-ordinator for NATO Pjer Šimunović, senior advisor at the Division for Defence Policy at the Croatian Ministry of Defence Josip Sajko and colonel at the Operative Division of the Armed Forces General Staff Darko Badalić informed the press about the details of the forthcoming exercise to be held from 26 January to 1 February 2005.

NATO Crisis Management Exercises are held once a year and do not entail the use of real armed forces, but are simulated according to a detailed scenario. They are the basis for training and co-ordination of national command and management structures on a expert and political level in crisis management operations.

Apart from the 26 NATO members, the planing and execution of the CMX 05 includes the nine Partnership for Peace members: Croatia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland, Macedonia, Sweden and Switzerland. Croatia will get a chance to check its preparedness for taking part and decision-making in NATO-led operations.

In charge of the implementation of CMX 05 are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, along with the other relevant state administration departments.