A significant contingent of reserve forces from EUFOR Althea will reach Bosnia and Herzegovina during August in preparation for the multinational exercise “Quick Response 26”, scheduled from August 22 to September 3, 2026.

According to the Bosnian portal Klix and reported by Agenzia Nova, the forces expected to participate in the activities include paratrooper units from Italy.

Reinforcements arriving from mid-August

The arrival of the first units is expected to begin around the middle of the month. Part of the personnel and equipment will enter the operational area through the Croatian port of Ploče, subsequently proceeding overland to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Simultaneously, an increase in military traffic is expected at the Sarajevo airport, used for the influx of personnel and materials.

Once in the country, the reserve forces will be distributed in various locations, also using infrastructure belonging to the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

EUFOR had already confirmed in recent weeks that it was engaged in preparing for “Quick Response 2026”. On July 24, the mission's multinational battalion conducted training activities in the Pazarić area, specifically aimed at preparing for the exercise.

Italian paratroopers in Quick Response 26

The most interesting element concerns the possible Italian participation. According to Klix, the 2026 edition is expected to present a different scenario compared to previous years and include the deployment of paratrooper units from Italy.

The participation would nonetheless fit into the already significant Italian contribution to Operation Althea. Last May, the EUFOR commander, Major General Maurizio Fronda, highlighted the role of Italian personnel in the mission and specifically pointed out the Quick Response exercise in August as one of the events aimed at verifying the rapid response capability to potential security needs.

It remains to be seen whether the Italian paratroopers will also be called upon to perform a parachute drop. Such an activity has no precedents in the publicly documented editions of Quick Response by EUFOR and, if confirmed, would therefore represent a particularly novel element for the exercise.

Objective: quickly integrate reserve forces

“Quick Response” is one of the main annual exercises of EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the objectives is to verify the mission's ability to receive, integrate, and quickly deploy additional forces from the reserve.

During a visit to the Camp Butmir headquarters on July 13, the European Union's operational commander, Lieutenant General Ludovic Pinon de Quincy, examined the preparations for the exercise with the EUFOR command. EUFOR explained that Quick Response would serve to test operational readiness, command and control procedures, and the ability to quickly integrate additional forces.

The activities planned between August and September will take place in various areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the logistical support of the local Armed Forces.

The intensification of military movements that will be visible in the coming weeks, EUFOR specified, is therefore part of the normal preparatory activities for the exercise and does not in itself represent a change in the security situation in the country.

Sources:

Agenzia Nova, August 7, 2026 – Bosnia: EUFOR reserve forces arriving, paratrooper units from Italy expected

EUFOR Althea, July 24, 2026 – EUFOR exercise near Foča ahead of the Quick Response 2026