Such an exercise is not being held for the first time, the commander of the 101st Alpine Regiment, Col. Stefan Dimov, told BNR. This year, together with military personnel from Plovdiv and the Krumovo airbase, military personnel from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria will increase the training of the allies. 

One company will be on the defensive, guarding a mountain pass. The other two companies with the participation of Slovenians, Croats and Austrians will advance. The soldiers will spend the evening outside preparing facilities for bivouac using natural means, the colonel explained. 

The training is also important for the Bulgarian contribution to NATO formations and the mountain training initiative, Dimov said.