Serbia launches first joint military exercises with NATO

Serbia has launched its first-ever joint military exercises with NATO, marking a significant step in cooperation between Belgrade and the Western military alliance despite the country’s longstanding policy of military neutrality.

According to a statement from Serbia’s Defense Ministry, the exercises will run through May 23.

The ministry said around 600 troops from Serbia, Italy, Romania and Türkiye are participating in the drills. The activities are also being monitored by observers from several NATO member states, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

The exercises are being held at the Borovac training ground near the southern Serbian town of Bujanovac. Serbia’s Defense Ministry said the maneuvers are tactical in nature and primarily aimed at exchanging operational experience.

During the two-week field exercise, Serbian military authorities said troops will rehearse tactics, methods and procedures used in peacekeeping operations, including base security, checkpoint operations, crowd control and urban combat scenarios.

The ministry added that the drills represent a continuation of “mutually beneficial, concrete and transparent cooperation” between Serbia and NATO under the Partnership for Peace program. It also stressed that the North Atlantic Alliance respects Serbia’s military neutrality.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić first announced in March that the country would conduct joint exercises with NATO while presenting Serbia’s national development strategy. Vučić said the military drills would “contribute to preserving peace and stability and ensuring our country’s security.”

Vučić also said Belgrade was “carefully preserving” its military neutrality while maintaining “good relations with everyone.”

In March 2022, Vučić said Serbia would not join NATO because the country had not forgotten the bombing of Yugoslavia.

On March 24, 1999, NATO launched Operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia without authorization from the UN Security Council. The operation was officially justified on the grounds that the Yugoslav government had rejected a peaceful resolution to the conflict, preventing an end to war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

The bombing campaign against Serbian cities lasted 78 days, until June 10, 1999. According to the Serbian government, around 2,000 people were killed in the strikes. Serbian authorities also estimate that the NATO campaign caused $542 billion in damage to the country.