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.
