The "Silver Saber" exercise, the most important exercise conducted annually by the NATO Force in Kosovo (Kosovo Force - KFOR) to assess its ability to respond immediately to threats against security and freedom of movement for the whole the population of Kosovo. This year's impressive edition, which saw over 600 soldiers from 31 nations operate on the field with dozens of armored vehicles and helicopters, aimed to demonstrate the high degree of cooperation achieved by KFOR in support of the EULEX mission of European Union and local police forces.
The commander of KFOR, division general Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, underlined, at the end of the event, as once again KFOR has proved to be a ready, flexible and effective force in its dual role as the first guarantor of the security of Kosovo and of third actor in the response to disturbances of public order.
KFOR, within the broad spectrum of tasks envisaged by its mandate, plays a key role as a prevention force and, if necessary, a resolute response to the degradation of security conditions in Kosovo, in support of local institutions and the international community operating there.
In this regard, the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltemberg, during his recent visit to Serbia, remarked that KFOR represents the most enduring mission ever conducted by NATO and emphasized its crucial role in ensuring the security of the entire Balkan region and to facilitate dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
The "Silver Saber" exercise highlighted a dual aspect of the success of the NATO KFOR mission, which has been engaged in Kosovo for over 15 years. On the one hand, the high degree of preparation and versatility of its soldiers, trained and equipped to respond to multifaceted threats and risks capable of adapting their work to the changing conditions of use typical of a complex operating theater such as that of Kosovo. On the other hand, its organizational flexibility, which allows KFOR to adapt procedures and organizational structures to the evolution of the situation, guaranteeing, in all conditions, information superiority, command and control capacity and, ultimately, timeliness and adequacy of the response.
During the “Silver Saber” Exercise, the procedures for the rapid entry and integration of the operational reserve of the NATO (Operational Reserve Force - ORF) into the KFOR device permanently deployed on the ground, with about 5000 men, were evaluated in this regard. KFOR is an integrated and integrable multinational force, ready to intervene in the whole of Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, if the situation requires it, thanks to its widespread coverage and the flexibility of use guaranteed by the modular system of available reserves.
Over 500 Italian soldiers operate in Kosovo, making Italy, today in command of the KFOR mission, the second contributing country in terms of troops after the United States.
