BUJANOVAC, SOUTHERN SERBIA — Serbia and NATO launched their first-ever joint military exercise on May 11, 2026, at a training ground near Bujanovac in southern Serbia. The two-week drills will run until May 23 and involve about 600 troops from Serbia, Italy, Romania and Turkiye.

Military planners and observers from France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States are also participating. Photographs released on May 11 showed Serbian and NATO soldiers standing side by side at the training ground, alongside armoured vehicles from both forces.

The tactical exercise falls under NATO's Partnership for Peace programme. Serbia has been part of the programme for nearly 20 years and regularly participates in drills with NATO members, but this is the first joint drill conducted directly with the alliance.

Serbia's Ministry of Defence said the exercise has a clear purpose. "The cooperation is aimed at preserving peace and stability in the region," the ministry said.

"The planning of this exercise has been an important part of this joint endeavour. Both NATO and the Serbian Armed Forces have a long track record of major international exercise planning, so the teams were able to collaborate and deliver in a seamless way, sharing ideas and experience," Royal Navy Commander Ian Kewley said.

Serbia is one of the few Balkan countries not in NATO and maintains a policy of neutrality while balancing close ties with both the alliance and Russia. Over the past 10 years, the country has bolstered its military capabilities by buying arms from NATO member countries alongside purchases from Russia and China.

A NATO-led peacekeeping force has been stationed in Kosovo since the end of the 1999 war, and Serbia has never recognised Kosovo's declaration of independence.