BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. NATO Headquarters
Sarajevo Commander Brigadier General Matthew Valas visited a
preparatory workshop in Bosnia’s Kupres, Trend reports citing
the Bosnian Defense Ministry.
The workshop, taking place from July 28 to 31, 2025, aims to
develop a methodology and concept for a document on the operational
and technical analysis of prospective sites used by the Ministry of
Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH).
The workshop was attended by Brigadier General Dr. Jasmin Čajić,
Brigadier General Radovan Jović, NATO HQ Sarajevo Commander
Brigadier General Matthew Valas, Assistant Minister of Defense for
Policy and Plans Dženan Redžo, UK Military Representative in BiH
Colonel Edward Taylor, representatives of international
organizations, and members of the Ministry of Defense and
AFBiH.
A letter from Minister Zukan Helez was read by Brigadier Arnad
Kukuljac, conveying the Minister’s greetings and warm welcome.
Helez emphasized the importance of the activity for the continued
development and strengthening of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s defense
capacities.
The Minister expressed confidence that participants would
successfully fulfill the workshop’s goals and that the result would
be a high-quality document—an important step toward a long-term
solution for the status and use of prospective military sites.
“I thank the embassies of the United States and the United
Kingdom in Bosnia and Herzegovina for their continued support in
developing the Armed Forces. Special thanks go to NATO Headquarters
Sarajevo, which has provided strong support from the beginning in
addressing the issue of prospective and non-prospective military
assets—something of great importance to the Ministry of Defense and
AFBiH. I sincerely hope this successful cooperation continues in
the future,” said Minister Helez.
General Matthew Valas also addressed the attendees:
“It is an honor to open this preparatory workshop dedicated to
creating a methodology and concept for the document on operational
and technical analysis of the Armed Forces’ prospective locations.
This is a key step in establishing a structured, unified, and
criteria-based approach to assessing military sites defined as
‘prospective’ in our current defense planning framework.
The goal is to create a shared understanding and practical
toolkit that will enable you—and us—to evaluate each location based
on clearly defined operational, technical, and infrastructure
criteria. These should reflect both current military needs and
future development potential, aligned with NATO standards, safety
norms, logistical functionality, and sustainability.
One of the key parts of this process is rationalizing the
existing infrastructure. We fully recognize that your current
infrastructure is extensive, diverse, and in many cases inherited
under different circumstances. Rationalization does not simply mean
downsizing—it means making thoughtful, strategic decisions about
which sites are essential, which can be consolidated, and which may
be candidates for repurposing or resolution,” Valas emphasized.
The goal of the workshop was to define the elements for creating
a methodology and concept document for the operational and
technical analysis of prospective sites used by the Armed Forces of
BiH. Through analysis of the legal and ownership status of these
sites, the aim is to identify key challenges and propose concrete
measures for addressing them in line with the actual needs of the
AFBiH.