“Defender Europe 25”: NATO simulates war-scale scenarios

The multinational exercise “Defender Europe 25,” one of the largest and most complex drills of the past decade in Europe and Africa, has officially begun from Albania. Led by the United States European Command (USEUCOM) and conducted in cooperation with NATO allied countries and strategic partners, the exercise will continue until June 9, 2025.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, troops departed from Zall-Herr toward the Training Center in Bizë, where the intensive phases of the military maneuvers will take place, including offensive and defensive operations as well as strategic deployments in difficult terrain, CE Report quotes ATA.

The Minister of Defense, Pirro Vengu, shared footage today on social media from the movement of troops in Zall-Herr.

"From Zall-Herr, where in the early morning hours, Land Force troops departed toward the Training Center in Bizë to officially begin Defender Europe 25 – one of the largest and most complex exercises of the past decade in Europe and Africa," Vengu wrote.

The “Defender Europe 25” exercise aims to enhance the readiness, interoperability, and capability of U.S., NATO, and partner forces to operate in a coordinated manner in a complex operational environment. The scenario is built under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, simulating collective defense in the event of an attack on one of the allies.

The military activities will include a series of large-scale operations in several European countries, with a special focus on Albania and Kosovo, where training will take place for the protection of critical infrastructure, securing embarkation points, and managing advanced logistics.