Almost 200 troops from the new Allied Response Forces (ARF) will be deployed to Kosovo and North Macedonia from September 30 to October 16, for exercises aimed at “their readiness and support for KFOR”.
NATO announced the deployment on September 30, saying it was the first time ARF forces had been deployed since the force was established in July 2024.
50 troops of the operational Liaison and reconnaissance team (OLRT) of the ARF will be deployed in Kosovo, while 150 more will be deployed in North Macedonia.
“Deployed personnel will perform training activities to maintain a high level of readiness and to test their capabilities and procedures for rapid deployment of a large force. Part of the ARF headquarters will be temporarily integrated into the command and control structures of the KFOR mission and will be tasked with identifying the requirements of logistical support, infrastructural support and operations for KFOR in case of the need for a reinforcement of the KFOR presence,” it was said in the announcement.
According to NATO, the ARF is a strategic, high-readiness force with multi-field capabilities.
This force can be deployed quickly and can provide defensive assistance in various scenarios.
NATO said the latest deployment, along with the deployments made earlier this month in Kosovo of the Strategic Reserve Forces (SRF), sends “a clear message of NATO’s strong determination and commitment to maintain peace and stability in the region, but also the alliance’s ability and readiness to respond”.
Recently, Kosovo has deployed British troops to participate in exercises with troops of the Western military alliance’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.