2020, the year of readiness for Land Force

Published: Thursday, 16 January 2020 12:25

The Land Force announced 2020 as the year of readiness, taking into account exercises, engagements in missions, and training of servicemen.

Land Force Commander, Brigadier General Albert Mullai made known this year’s objectives of the force he is commanding, starting from the improvement of conditions up to the education and training of servicemen.
Brigadier General Albert Mullai emphasized the modernization of the Land Force in order to bring a direct impact on the working conditions of servicemen. "The main objective of the Land Force for 2020 is to modernize the Force as a whole, but with a major focus on significantly improving living conditions and training conditions of servicemen."

National and international exercises occupy a significant part of the Land Force activity. "For 2020 the biggest exercise will be "Albanian Reaction", which will take place at the 3rd Infantry Battalion premises in Berat. Likewise, there will be a joint-conducted exercise “Balkan Lion”, with a British team. We will carry out other exercises, such as “The Knight” which is the first interagency exercise, and we will continue the already started tradition of relocating battalions to different locations in the territory of the Republic," said Brigadier General Mullai.

2020 was announced as the year of readiness for the Land Force, and as Commander Mullai puts it, this applies not only to cases of civil emergencies but also to fulfilling its obligations under NATO and regional initiatives. "Everything we do serves the readiness to have forces available to respond at home toward integrity protection, in emergency situations as shown after the earthquake, as well as all other obligations we have in the framework of NATO Alliance. Last year we had the “exercise year”, this year we will call it the “readiness year”. Land Force contributes at joint-reserve forces to KFOR and EUFOR with a company, and as part of SEBRIG engagement, LF has an infantry company and a sapper company. "

Regarding missions, the Land Force carries the main weight of our commitment to fulfilling its obligations toward the Alliance. "We will maintain the same commitment. The Land Force is engaged in operations with officers in NATO Headquarters and in Headquarters set up in operational areas such as those in Herat, Mazār-i-Sharīf and Kabul. We also participate in other operations, as part of KFOR with special forces, and in Afghanistan with special forces and other support forces."

Concerning education and physical training, Brigadier General Mullai announces innovations not only in infrastructure but also in methodology, in order to achieve NATO standards. "Our Training Center is completely modernized. We have adopted the best international models. Specifically, as regards physical exercising we will not be tested as we have been tested so far, but this year will be an experimental year for introducing the new physical test, according to the American model, not with the 3 elements as it is today, but with the 5 elements." - Commander of the Land Force, Brigadier General Albert Mullai ends his statement.

The Land Force is the largest force in the Armed Forces and its mission is to provide and make available the required capabilities for maintaining the territorial integrity of the Republic of Albania in co-operation with other structures of the Armed Forces and NATO, as well as support the population in coping with natural disasters in peacetime.