Croatia part of DEFENDER 25 series of exercises – IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25, LIFT 25 and LAUFER 25

High military representatives from the A5 countries, along with high-ranking guests from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United States of America, attended the presentation of the US Armed Forces Military Police’s activities at the Josip Markić military training area in Knin and the presentation of the international military exercises IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25, LIFT 25, and LAUFER 25 at the Josip Jović barracks in Udbina on Wednesday, 4 June 2025.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25 is part of a series of exercises called DEFENDER 25 conducted by U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command (USAREUR-AF) in May and June 2025, demonstrating the ability of the U.S. military and European and NATO allies and partners to conduct large-scale operations on European soil. The exercise aims to develop interoperability with NATO and partner forces, focusing on developing capabilities in support of NATO regional plans.

The exercise is being conducted for the first time by the 1st German-Netherlands Corps

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25 is being conducted in May and June 2025 in Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Slovakia. Around 12,000 participants from a total of 20 countries are participating in the exercise. With a focus on cyber and CBRNE capabilities, it is being carried out to build interoperability with NATO and partner nation forces and to develop capabilities in support of NATO regional plans. For the first time, the 1st German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC) is also taking part in this exercise.

During the exercise, the multinational brigade command and the multinational battalion under the leadership of the CAF Guards Mechanised Brigade were located at the Eugen Kvaternik military training area in Slunj, Croatia. In addition to the GMBR, this brigade in Slunj also includes an artillery unit from Slovenia, an engineering unit from the Kosovo Security Force, and nuclear-biological-chemical defence units from Slovenia and Germany. It also includes a light infantry battalion group of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, together with members of the US Military Police, is deployed to the Josip Markić military training area near Knin. The brigade is directly subordinate to the American 28th Infantry Division, whose command post is located in Kosovo. In addition to this brigade, the 28th Infantry Division also includes brigades from Albania, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia.

Under the leadership of the Support Command and the Intelligence Regiment, the LIFT 25 and LAUFER 25 exercises are being carried out concurrently in direct support of the IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25 exercise. Participating in these exercises are military personnel from the United States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Federal Republic of Germany, Slovenia, and the US.

The activities of members of the Armed Forces of BiH and the Military Police of the US Armed Forces (Maryland National Guard) at the Josip Markić military training ground were also visited by the Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Matthew Valas, and the Assistant Commander of the Maryland National Guard, Brigadier General Andrew Collins, who thanked the Republic of Croatia and its Armed Forces for providing the opportunity for the Armed Forces of BiH to continue building their capabilities in the spirit of approaching Euro-Atlantic integration.

LIFT 25: Reserve and active Support Command composition is the key logistical and medical support for IR25

The purpose of Exercise LIFT 25, a national exercise of the Support Command, is to carry out tasks related to host nation support, Reception, Staging, and Onward Movement of Forces (RSOM), and to directly provide logistical and medical support to IR25 participants on the Croatian territory. This year, it is linked for the first time to Exercise IMMEDIATE RESPONSE 25.

The new Role 2 field military hospital used for the first time during the exercise

The LIFT 25 exercise will be the first time the new Role 2 field military hospital is utilised. It is the joint medical support activity of IR25, the newly acquired Role 2 field military hospital with the capabilities of receiving and triaging the injured, i.e., providing medical treatments such as minor life-saving surgeries.

In a similar manner, reservists from the Support Command’s Logistics Regiment, together with active-duty soldiers and international partners, are supporting the exercise’s implementation logistically this year for the first time through exercise LIFT 25 by supplying supplies, services, and construction work. Colonel Mile Vukičević, the Commander of the Support Command, and his colleagues met with Brigadier General Karen Monday-Gresham, the Commander of the 7th MSC, and the Deputy Commander of the 21st TSC as part of the exercise. During their meeting, they highlighted the excellent cooperation in providing logistical support to these activities.

LAUFER 25: General Validžić praised the participation of CAF members in providing intelligence support to IR25 Exercise

LAUFER 25 is an international military exercise of intelligence elements of the armed forces of the member countries of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) and partners, led by the Intelligence Regiment of the Croatian Armed Forces. Activities carried out during this exercise are also in direct support of IR25. In order to support the Multinational Brigade Command and the US 28th Infantry Division Command (28th ID), the exercise’s primary objective is to generate and use multinational intelligence capabilities and analytical capacity. Almost all of Croatia’s territory is used for LAUFER 25, with a focus on the military training grounds at Gašinci, Eugen Kvaternik, Cerovac, Josip Markić, and Gakovo.

BG Mijo Validžić, Chief of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, which organised this international military exercise alongside the Intelligence Regiment, expressed satisfaction with the performance and commended the professionalism and engagement of all CAF and partner countries’ participants.

Activities of the US Armed Forces Military Police

The so-called Theater Detention Facility was created for the Josip Jović Barracks in Udbina by the 18th Brigade of the Military Police (from the 21st TSC USAREUR-AF) during an exercise that was directly supervised by the 1st NATO GNC. In support of Detention Operations, the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center was established. These activities involve members of the Croatian Military Police Regiment, the 66th Intelligence Brigade of the United States Armed Forces, the Croatian Intelligence Regiment, and other NATO armed forces in addition to members of the US Military Police.

The demonstration of military exercises at the training areas near Udbina and Knin was attended by: Minister of Defence of BiH Zukan Helez, Chargé d’Affaires a. i. at the US Embassy in Croatia Trey Lyons, Director of the General Staff of the CAF Major General Denis Tretinjak, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of BiH Major General Tomo Kolenda, Chief of the Intelligence Directorate of the GSCAF Brigadier General Mijo Validžić, Commander of the Operational Command of the BIH Armed Forces Major General Mirzet Lubenović, Commander of the Support Command of the BIH Armed Forces Major General Zdravko Rezo, Assistant Commander of the Maryland National Guard Brigadier General Andrew Collins, Commander of the Support Command of the CAF Colonel Mile Vukičević, GMBR, representatives of the US Embassy in the Republic of Croatia and BiH, and others.