The Maryland National Guard and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) carried out a joint logistics exchange of experiences within the “M2M” program from April 1st to April 8th.
More than 40 members of the Maryland Air Force and Army shared best practices with members of the AFBiH regarding vehicle maintenance, convoy movement procedures, traffic management, and sustainable logistics during “M2M” activities, which directly support the AFBiH’s preparations for participation in the exercise “Immediate Response – DEFENDER 25”.
During the upcoming international exercise, which begins at the end of May in the Republic of Croatia, about 400 members of the AFBiH Battalion Battle Group will carry out a convoy movement with military vehicles and equipment, after which they will train for two weeks in a multinational environment.
The implemented group of “M2M” events represents an important step in demonstrating the logistics and operational capability of the AFBiH.
During the activities, members of the Maryland National Guard were divided into three teams and traveled daily from Sarajevo to meet with AFBiH colleagues at locations across BiH.
Through classroom knowledge exchange and practical exercises, work was done on procurement, transport, distribution, and maintenance procedures for military property. Joint teams also discussed the process of receiving and organizing travel documentation and preparing cargo for loading with their logistics colleagues.
In parallel with the logistics exchange of experiences, four public relations experts from the Maryland National Guard carried out joint work in the field of media relations and crisis communication with members of the Media-Information Center of the AFBiH, in order to improve capacities, especially in stressful situations such as major military exercises and real events.
This activity is another confirmation of the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense’s commitment to regularly supporting the development of the media and communication infrastructure of the AFBiH.
“I’ve been coming here to work with the AFBiH since 2015, and I’m truly impressed by the professionalism of the team from the Media-Information Center and their products. They very quickly produce high-quality photographs, videos, and press releases, which is key to proper functioning in today’s modern media environment. Timely and accurate informing of the public provided by the AFBiH Media-Information Center is essential for strengthening international trust in the capabilities of the AFBiH through transparency,” said Major Benjamin Hughes of the Maryland Air Guard, who is also the public affairs officer of the Maryland National Guard.
The “M2M” activities concluded yesterday with the execution of a practical convoy procedures training exercise, where members of the AFBiH and the Maryland National Guard conducted a movement with multiple vehicles on the Zenica – Visoko route, with planned training scenarios inserted during the transport, it was published on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Defense and the AFBiH.
