“This conference and the participation of our partner nations demonstrates the vital focus placed upon our mutual cooperation. This relationship reflects the value between force and operational planning as part of the training, exercise, and certification process,” said Brigadier General Martin Remes, Assistant Chief of Staff Military Cooperation, Partnerships Directorate. "The recent OCC evaluation of significant forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina is a timely reminder of the importance of this capability and contributions to global security.”

The Operational Capability Concept Evaluation and Feedback team, as part of SHAPE’s Partnerships Directorate, recently hosted its annual conference in Mons, Belgium with over 20 partner nations. - NATO Photo by SHAPE's Partnerships Directorate

At the end of the conference, a certification ceremony took place where 15 units from Partner Nations received the certificate for successfully completing NATO Evaluation Level 2, which means those units are capable to work with and in NATO missions including the NATO Response Forces. Further work will be carried out at the Military Strategic Partnerships Conference to be held in Qatar in March 2023.

NATO’s Partnerships contribute to all three of NATO’s Core Tasks and remains the fundamental foundation of Cooperative Security. The OCCE & F programme adds enormous value with the task of supporting and evaluating nations, conducting training and focusing on standardisation and interoperability with Alliance members.