Black Bear 2011 Exercise in Slovakia

Final presentation exercise on the last day of Black Bear 2011 exercise was attended by Defence Minister of the Republic of Slovakia Lubomir Galko, CAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Admiral Zdenko Simicic; Chief of General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces General Vlastimil Picek, chiefs of Slovak, Croatian, Polish and the Czech Republic military police and other military guests from the four countries which are members in the Multinational Military Police Battalion (MNMPBAT).

Addressing the aligned members of the Croatian part in MNMPBAT in Lest, Admiral Zdenko Simicic, on behalf of the Chief of General Staff congratulated on what they had showed during training and on the effort and work that have contributed to the ultimate success of the exercise. “During my stay on the Black Bear 2011 exercise I was in contact with ministers, chiefs of general staff or their deputies, and from all of them I’ve heard words of praise to your account. I am glad that the military police here continued its tradition of successful cooperation in multinational forces”, Rear Admiral Simicic said and concluded:” You have been, all these days, genuine representatives of the Croatian Armed Forces, of your troops and of the Croatian flag that you proudly wear”.

Black Bear 2011 exercise has fully met all expectations and confirmed the high readiness and good coordination of all national components of MNMPBAT. Command of MNMPBAT during this year’s exercise had a Croatian officer, Captain Robert Vorih from the CAF GS MP Department. The exercise has been held on numerous sites of Slovak military training ground Lest, and multinational forces of military police demonstrated the readiness and procedures in a simulated complex situations such as an attack on a convoy, the evacuation of children from school, which was the target of terrorist attack, suicide bomber situation, extraction of wounded and protection of medical flights, etc. More than 450 people, of which 199 members from MNMPBAT from Croatia, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic and Poland participated in the organization and implementation of the Black Bear 2011 exercise.