Exercise Cooperative Best Effort 03

Press
Advisory

12 June 2003

NATO CONDUCTS EXERCISE COOPERATIVE BEST EFFORT IN ARMENIA

Verona, Italy - Approximately 400 troops from 19 nations will converge on Armenia's ''Azgen Sargsya'' military institute from 16 to 27 June to conduct exercise Cooperative Best Effort 2003 (CBE 03), the principal NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) land-based exercise in the Alliance's Southern Region. This is the first time Armenia hosts a NATO/PfP live exercise.

NATO member nations participating in the exercise are Canada, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Partner nations participating include Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Uzbekistan. This marks the first time that Russia will participate in such a NATO exercise with staff officers and an infantry squad integrated into the exercise's multinational force structure.

Based on a fictitious peace support operation scenario, the Cooperative Best Effort series of exercises provide basic knowledge on peace support operations at small unit level and serve as an important building block for higher-level land exercises. CBE 03 is a valuable venue to foster understanding and interoperability between NATO and Partner nations, improving land force effectiveness in the field.

CBE 03 is scheduled by Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH), and will be conducted by Ltg Antonio Quintana, Commander of Joint Command South (COMJCS). Colonel Ahmet M. Kabak, from Joint Command South and Colonel Murad Isakhanyan from the Armenia Ministry of Defence are the two exercise co-directors.

(1) TURKEY RECOGNISES THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA WITH ITS CONSTITUTIONAL NAME

NOTE FOR THE EDITOR:
Media questions prior to the start the exercise should be addressed either to:

JCS POC:
LTC IT A Roberto MARTINELLI
JCS Chief Public Information Office
Via Roma 31, 37121 Verona, Italy
Tel.: +39 045 9270 171 - Fax: +39 045 9270 100
E-MAIL: pi@jcs.nato.int

Host Nation POC:
CPT ARM A Karo POGHOSYAN
Deputy Chief of Information Department Armenian MODYerevan, Armenia
Tel.+374-1 280213 - Fax +374-1 357869
E-mail: mlv@mil.am

The Press Center will be operational from 14 to 27 June at the Armenia Hotel in Yerevan, Armenia.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Interested journalists must be accredited by bona fide media organizations (Press ID or accreditation letter). The CPIC will register media representatives for specific events. Media opportunities listed below are open to all registered journalists:

16 June 03: Opening Ceremony and Press Conference;
20 June 03: Media Day;
27 June 03: Closing Ceremony and Final Press Conference.