KFORThe KFOR Magazine for KFOR CHRONICLE Soldiers November 2013 Local Elections Send Good Vibrations Operation Christmas in Kosovo Remembrance Sunday www.nato.int/kfor CONTENT PICTURE: KFOR CCT KFOR ready to react COM KFOR KFOR CSM 03 Election Address 04 Francesco Cascella REPAIRING BRIDGES Repairing damaged bridges LOCAL ELECTIONS 05 exemplifies MORE TOGETHER Send Good Vibrations SACEUR VISITS KOSOVO 06 General Breedlove visits KFOR MCAD to NLAT MCAD closes and 10 NLAT opens SHOOTING DAY 12 Orahovac Rifle Range CHARITY DONATION 14 Operation Christmas in Kosovo AUSTRIAN 15 National Day REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Annual British Remembrance 16 Sunday MNBG-E SOLDIERS 17 Athens Classic Marathont CEREMONY Czech Republic National Day 18 PROFILES Kenan Fatih Nefes 20 Konstantinos Katsaounis SUDOKU 21 An activity for the brain PICTURE OF THE MONTH Your chance to be a part of it! 22 23 2 KFOR CHRONICLE 11/2013 COM KFOR ADDRESS COM KFOR’s address following Kosovo Municipal elections he Kosovo municipal election months of November Tand December 2013 will be remembered as a very signifi cant step towards the improvement of democracy and security throughout Kosovo. Th e smooth conduct of municipal elections has been an important pillar in the successful implementation of the April 19th Brussels agreement between Pristina and Belgrade. It marks a signifi cant development in the normalisation of their relationship. Along with our security partners, the Kosovo Police and EULEX, we supported OSCE and the Institutions in Kosovo and we enabled the conduct of the elections by acting in a prudent, fi rm and impartial manner. In the municipal assemblies, Kosovo will have all communities represented with an internationally recognised mandate from the people PICTURE: KFOR CCT of Kosovo, North and South. Th e focus will now quickly shift towards the signifi cant task of establishing the supporting security operation. structures for the newly elected municipal assemblies, especially We must now continue to ensure that the security environment in the Serbian municipalises where the task of removing the enables progress towards normalisation and implementation old structures and replacing them will commence in earnest. of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement. Th e tangible benefi ts Th e successful implementation of the KFOR mandate to of the calm and stable environment are being realised and ensure a Safe and Secure Environment (SASE) and Freedom of the conduct of Kosovo wide elections, in which all parties Movement (FoM) during the elections is a consequence of the engaged, is the clearest sign yet of progress. KFOR’s role as the detailed planning and coordination by KFOR HQ and KFOR third responder was key to success, not only because of our Commanders combined with the hard work and endeavour of presence but also because of our sound deployment and strong the KFOR personnel on the ground. Together we accomplished reassuring capability. KFOR enabled and empowered the the mission by each of us completing our assigned tasks. fi rst responder, the Kosovo Police, and the second responder, On all voting dates of 03, 17 November and 01 December EULEX, to operate eff ectively. REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 2013, KFOR deployed its entire set of manoeuvre forces. Th e As the Commander of KFOR, I would like to express my Annual British Remembrance forces were mainly deployed to the North where our main appreciation to all KFOR personnel for their outstanding Sunday eff ort lies. In addition to the MNBG-E units and MSU normally contribution towards the successful conduct of the Kosovo operating in the North, we also deployed the entire KTM and local municipal elections. In order to meet the challenges that other units from MNBG-W, North of the Ibar. It was a very lay ahead I am sure that I will need to rely on your expertise, CEREMONY demanding eff ort as all the capabilities of the ISR, RECCE, professionalism and cooperation. I look forward to your Czech Republic National Day FoM Detachments, EOD, JLSG, Engineers and CIS assets were continued outstanding eff ort in close coordination with the also deployed. Th e professional and strong commitments of other internal organizations and institutions in order to achieve KFOR have been very much appreciated by all the institutions “MORE TOGETHER’’. and our security partners, KP, EULEX, and OSCE as well as all the people of Kosovo. I was able to appreciate, fi rst-hand, the professionalism, MAJOR-GENERAL impartial and vigilant posture of KFOR soldiers when I visited Salvatore FARINA the deployed troops on the election days. I have seen the hard COM KFOR work, commitment and perseverance required to resolve issues at the tactical level and required to face the complexities of the KFOR CHRONICLE 11/2013 3 KFOR CSM ADDRESS KFOR’s Command Sergeant Major Francesco CASCELLA PICTURE: KFOR CCT uring my extensive career I my membership of KFOR but I of each and every soldier in KFOR Dhave been assigned to many am aware that my position should continues to contribute toward appointments but I regard my always be carried out with rigor achieving the strategic objectives current appointment as the most and impartiality, respecting the of both KFOR and NATO. We truly challenging one to date. prerogatives of each nationality are one great family, completely and of each individual. I’ll be at committed to our mission. This I have the honour to serve as KFOR your service, counting on your is a family in which each of us, Command Sergeant Major and I constructive contributions to irrespective of rank, in uniform or want to thank Major General Farina KFOR. I am happy to work with as a civilian, has his or her own place for giving me this great opportunity. you in the service of NATO, in a and plays a role in the effort for peace I have had the pleasure to interact particularly important moment and stability in Kosovo. This was with so many of you, and thus far of economic, social and cultural demonstrated most recently in the KFOR soldiers and personnel have change in Kosovo. talented and efficacious deployment demonstrated, without hesitation, I am deeply committed to of troops during operations to their cooperative spirit in tackling contributing my professional and secure municipal elections where all of their duties. intellectual abilities, combined with the robust deployment was most First, I would like to stress that I a moral sense of duty. I also rely on effective and successful. Each consider it a privilege as well as a your indispensable contributions, individual soldier who deployed pleasure to work together with 31 so that collectively, we can had the potential to influence the representative Nations from NATO successfully complete our mission success of the operation. Due to your and non-NATO countries. here in Kosovo. professionalism, in implementing I deeply trust that our efforts Our motto “More Together”, the detailed planning of your together will provide solutions to personifies the frank, sincere, and superiors, the overall operation was the many problems we are facing unreserved collaboration that will a success and the strategic picture and I hope that the organizational allow us to accomplish our goals. for Kosovo continues to progress structures and arrangements we In doing so, we will consolidate and and develop. have set up will be adequate for a enhance the role, credibility, and I wish all of you continued successful mission here at KFOR. image of KFOR. professional and personal success. I am proud of my identity and The hard work and professionalism 4 KFOR CHRONICLE 11/2013 BRIDGES REPAIR REPAIRING DAMAGED BRIDGES EXEMPLIFIES “MORE TOGETHER“ On 6th November COM KFOR, Major-General Salvatore Farina, as the NATO representative, took part in the official opening ceremony of the third phase of the Regional and Local Roads and Bridges Support Project. The purpose of this agreement is to develop the cooperation between NATO and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in regard to this project. During this third phase of the project the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NMSA) is providing 8 million Euro to restore and strengthen 13 bridges from Veles to Katlanovo. This will bring the bearing capacity of the structures in- line with NATO standards in order to provide safe transportation links on this portion of the important road corridor known as the Pan-European PICTURE: KFOR CCT (2) Corridor X. A memorandum of understanding crisis. great example of the KFOR motto, on the reconstruction of roads and The official opening ceremony of “More Together”, and individual bridges in the former Yugoslav the third phase of the project is one of organisations would not be able to Republic of Macedonia was signed the key objectives of NATO to bring complete such a monumental task. on 14 June 2008 in Skopje by the people together to live in peace, with We will be able to accomplish this Minister of Transportation and a common respect both for shared road construction within the year Communications, Xhemali Mehazi, values and for diversity. and prove that we can do ‘More and Brigadier-General Dennis When completed the project will Together’, than on our own.” Blease, Commander NATO HQ greatly enhance health and safety COM KFOR also underlined that Skopje. through the reduction in the number KFOR and the former Yugoslav The memorandum ofof accidents and it will also decrease Republic of Macedonia have worked understanding is a legal framework the amount of air pollution on the hard to bring this project to fruition. for the road reconstruction project. upgraded road sections. Increased He stated that both have done so in an NATO will allocate 35 million Euro employment and economic growth excellent manner and will continue for the reconstruction of 60 bridges will directly impact the living this worthy and fruitful union for in the former Yugoslav Republic of standards in the region.