Over a thousand members of the armies of North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, and the USA will take part in the “Decisive Strike 21” military exercise, which will take place at the Krivolak training site from May 17 to June 2, Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska said in Krivolak on Friday.

According to MIA’s Kavadarci correspondent, Minister Shekerinska said the ambitious goal to modernize Krivolak was both justified and possible.

“You can see that the training site has grown into not only a national and regional but also a true NATO facility,” Shekerinska said.

She said that more than a thousand army members will work together to on capacity-building and increasing interoperability during the “Decisive Strike 21” drill. This, she added, is proof that despite the pandemic, the Alliance has shown willingness to cooperate and achieve results.

Welcoming the members of the armies of the USA, Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia, she said the military exercise sends the message that “together we are stronger, and together we can achieve more.”

The head of the military exercise, Colonel Blazhe Nikolovski, said the exercise would be an excellent opportunity to increase combat readiness and strengthen the interoperability of the Macedonian Army with the other participating armies and NATO allies.

US Defense Attaché Colonel Peter Rowell said the drill was part of a broader military exercise aimed at increasing strategic readiness.

Thanking the defense minister on her leadership and commitment to developing Krivolak, Colonel Rowell said the exercise was a strong example of North Macedonia’s readiness to work together with the US and other NATO allies and their armies.

According to MIA’s Kavadarci correspondent, the air quality at the training site will be monitored and the measurements will be available to the public.