Sarajevo Hosts NATO Military Evaluation Conference
Sarajevo is hosting NATO's annual OCC E&F conference with 113 participants from 20 countries and NATO structures, focusing on military interoperability, capability evaluations and cooperation with partner forces.
Military representatives from 20 countries and NATO structures are meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina to coordinate military capability evaluations, interoperability standards and future cooperation with partner forces.
Sarajevo is hosting NATO's annual Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback (OCC E&F) conference from November 9 to 12, bringing together 113 participants representing 20 NATO partner countries and NATO military commands and headquarters.
The event, held at the Radon Plaza Hotel, focuses on improving the operational readiness and interoperability of military units from countries cooperating with the Alliance.
According to Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ministry of Defense, discussions include the development of declared military units, coordination of future evaluation activities and implementation of NATO operational standards.
NATO and Bosnian Military Leadership Attend
The conference's formal opening was attended by Major General Mirsad Ahmić, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina for Resources, and Admiral Yusuf Karagülle, Deputy Director of NATO's SHAPE Partnership Directorate.
Major General Tomo Kolenda also addressed participants during an introductory event on November 9.
The gathering provides a forum for NATO officials and partner-country representatives to review evaluation procedures, exchange operational experience and coordinate activities planned for participating military units.
The conference does not itself constitute a military certification exercise or announce new NATO membership commitments.
What Is NATO's OCC Evaluation Program?
The Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback program helps NATO partner countries develop military units capable of operating alongside Allied forces.
It evaluates interoperability, military capabilities and the ability of designated units to perform assigned tasks according to established NATO standards.
The program uses a progressive evaluation structure covering interoperability and operational capabilities.
For participating countries, the process can involve national self-evaluations, assessments by NATO evaluation teams and additional training or improvements identified through feedback.
The objective is to improve the readiness and effectiveness of partner military formations during multinational operations.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO Cooperation
The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina participate in the OCC E&F program as part of their continuing military cooperation with NATO.
Hosting the annual conference provides an opportunity for Bosnian military personnel to engage directly with Alliance evaluation specialists and representatives of other participating countries.
The event follows a major military exercise conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina last month.
As AdriaDefense reported in October, Bosnian forces completed the Immediate Response 26 exercise at the Manjača training area, with approximately 1,200 personnel involved and international evaluators reporting positive preliminary assessments.
Those preliminary exercise findings were subject to final confirmation and should not be confused with new certification decisions arising from the Sarajevo conference.
The two developments nevertheless illustrate Bosnia and Herzegovina's continuing participation in NATO-linked training and evaluation activities.
Regional Military Interoperability
The OCC program remains an important instrument for developing practical cooperation between NATO and partner armed forces.
For countries in Southeastern Europe, such activities can support improvements in training, command procedures, logistics and the capacity to participate in multinational military operations.
The Sarajevo conference is primarily a coordination and evaluation-policy event, rather than an announcement of new procurement or force deployments.
Its significance lies in supporting the process through which partner military units are assessed against common standards and prepared for operational cooperation with Allied forces.
Sources: Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 10, 2026; NATO: Partnership Programmes and Tools.
