Personnel from LANDCOMs Military Cooperation (MILCOOP)
branch executed a NATO-led Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC) evaluation of
KAZBAT, a Kazakhstan Mechanised Infantry Battalion, from 29 July to August 4.
The team also conducted an OCC Evaluator Training Course training and
certifying 33 students from 21 different countries from both NATO and partners
nations.
The evaluation was conducted in conjunction with Exercise
STEPPE EAGLE 17, and included 130 U.S. Army personnel and 45 British Army
personnel in various training and support roles.
LANDCOM has been heavily involved in the planning and preparation
of this event since 2016, including advisory visits to both the United Kingdom
and Kazakhstan.
"The evaluation went very well and I am glad that we
[LANDCOM] are able to provide this support,” said Lt. Col. Tore Bade, LANDCOM
Military Cooperation Branch Head (Norweigian Army). "Our Mobile Training Teams
and Operational Capabilities Program provides significant benefits to both NATO
and partner nations.”
As one of NATOs three core tasks, Collective Defence, Crisis
Management and Cooperative Security, Cooperative Security is one of the fastest
growing areas in recent years. In a speech at the Atlantic Council in
Washington D.C. on April 6, 2016, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said,
"In the fight against terrorism, building local capacity is one of the best
weapons we have, and the earlier we can do it, the better.”
In order to assist in building local capacity, LANDCOM has
tripled the number of its activities from 36 in 2015 to 84 projected for 2017
by the end of the year.
NATO currently interacts with 42 partner countries and of
these LANDCOM is currently interacting with 23 of them this year.