Vigorous Warrior 19 VW19, the largest medical exercise in the history of the North-Atlantic Alliance, will be conducted over 1-15 April in several units of the Romanian Armed Forces, at the level of three components - ground (activities that will mainly take place at Getica Joint National Training Center from), air (in 71 Air Base General Emanoil Ionescu) and naval (in Constanta and at the Black Sea).

The practical component of the exercise (LIVEX) will be conducted from 7 to 12 April, at the Cincu Training Center, the last day being dedicated to the Distinguished Visitors' Day, event which will also be opened to the mass-media representatives.

The LIVEX of VW19 will be conducted in several areas of Bucharest over 11-12 April. The goal of the exercise is that the military and civilian entities, both national and multinational, act in a coherent and combined manner. The exercise will be conducted in cooperation with the Department for Emergency Situations, with the support of Dr. Carol Davila Central Military Emergency Hospital.

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The goal of VW19 is the joint training in order to provide multinational medical support within the NATO-led operations. Thus, the participants practice procedures to provide continuous medical care, strategic medical evacuation, increased level of training and response to any chemical, biological, radiological incident or improvised device incident. Also, organizers aim at developing concepts, experimenting and incorporating the advanced technology-training systems in this field.

Representatives from 38 nations (most of the NTO members states) will take part in the joint multidimensional and multinational NATO medical exercise organized by the Romanian Defence Staff in collaboration with the Medical Directorate of the Ministry of National Defence and the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine. VW19 will also have a civilian component consisting of 10 distinct organizations.

Informative materials on the exercise will be loaded on a daily basis starting with 7 April, on the Defence Staff's official website: http://www.defense.ro/vigorouswarrior19.

Additional details for the press can be offered by Major Claudiu Panait, cell phone 0760.303.664 or 0786.850.142, at email address: relatiipublice.smap@gmail.com.

The Press Office