Progressing in the planning of the multinational 'Bison Counter' exercise

The meeting was held in Zaragoza

Between February 13th and 17th, at the “Castillejos” Military Logistical Residence of Zaragoza, The Engineer Command led the initial planning conference of the “Bison Counter” exercise, which will be held in our country in November 2023.

It is a major commitment, promoted by the European Defense Agency, in which Spain has been appointed leading nation of the project. In addition, it will serve to continue advancing in the development of capabilities against improvised explosive devices (C-IED). In this regard, the conference was aimed at establishing the guidelines to continue the planning phase and coordinate the actions related to the organization and development of the exercise.

The multinational nature of the meeting allowed the collaborative planning between the nations that will take part in the exercise. To this end, representatives of NATO were involved, as well as those of the Center of Excellence Against Improvised Explosive Devices, the Civil Guard, the National Police, the Intelligence Center of the Armed Forces, the Navy and the Air and Space Force.

With regard to the planning, the reflections and lessons learned from the previous editions of the exercise, in 2013, 2016 and 2021 are useful, as well as the experiences of those who participated in other relevant multinational C-IED maneuvers.

Currently, the Engineer Command, thanks to its specific capabilities, is the unit of reference for the training against improvised explosive devices and technical operation for Intelligence.