Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief exercise in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The British Army 77th Brigade have returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina to run a disaster relief exercise.
British troops have arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, operating under the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Statement of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and working alongside the Ministry of Security Protection and Rescue to take part in a Disaster Relief exercise.
For the third year soldiers from 77th Brigade, supported by the Stabilisation Unit and the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit, will be working through a challenging scenario in an environment of co-operation and understanding between not only the Ministry of Security but also the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces and Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Civil Protection Agencies and Entity and State level first responders.
The NATO PfP SOFA in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a platform for these British troops to exercise their specialist skills in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief, their language skills and those of the first responders in the event of a disaster.
Over the last two years the scenarios have reflected natural disasters in the country, flooding and an earthquake. This year the event will be a simulation of an international plane crash just north of Tuzla, an area which, in the past, has been identified as being mined. For the British soldiers involved this will test many of their specialist skills in an international environment.