Maine Guard, Montenegro Strengthen Ties at Common Challenge

KOLASIN, Montenegro - Maine National Guardsmen were among more than 500 military personnel from six nations who spent 12 days in September training in some of Europe's most demanding mountain terrain during Common Challenge 2026, an exercise designed to strengthen interoperability, readiness and the ability of allied and partner forces to operate together.

Hosted by the Armed Forces of Montenegro, the multinational exercise brought together personnel from Montenegro, the United States, Austria, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Spain for mountain warfare and rescue training at locations across Montenegro.

About 30 Maine National Guard Soldiers and Airmen participated, working alongside their Montenegrin counterparts in aviation, medical, communications and signal operations. The Maine National Guard and Montenegro have been paired in the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program since 2006.

Common Challenge began with an opening ceremony Sept. 7 in Kolasin. Col. Mitar Klikovac, chief of staff of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, told participants that multinational training transforms shared knowledge into operational capability while developing interoperability and maintaining the long-term readiness needed for forces to operate together.

The exercise focused on mountain infantry operations while incorporating capabilities applicable to emergencies, including search and rescue, evacuation and care of injured personnel in difficult-to-access terrain.

One of the exercise's most visible demonstrations took place Sept. 11 at the Knjaz Danilo Petrovic Njegos military airport in Zeta. At the airport, Montenegrin and Maine National Guard aviation and medical personnel responded to a simulated aircraft crash, demonstrating the process from securing the accident site and providing initial medical care to extracting an injured person and preparing the casualty for further medical evacuation.

The event illustrated a central theme of Common Challenge: different military specialties and nations must be able to integrate their capabilities into a single operation.

The exercise then moved into its most demanding phase. For three consecutive days, multinational forces operated in difficult weather and rugged mountain terrain, including rain, storms and strong winds.

Participants carried heavy combat loads while negotiating steep rock faces and cliffs using mountaineering techniques. Rather than limiting training to ideal conditions, the exercise challenged units to maintain procedures, coordination and decision-making as terrain, weather, fatigue and physical demands complicated every movement.

This operational phase also allowed evaluators and observers to assess how participants executed assigned tasks and coordinated their actions in a multinational environment.

The efforts and coordination of the six countries stood out to many, including Staff Sgt. Cordero Behrman, from the Maine Air National Guard's 243rd Engineering & Installation Squadron in South Portland.

"It's just awesome to see so many different nations coming together and cooperating for many different reasons," said Behrman, of Lyman, Maine. "The successful execution of the entire mission speaks to how important exercises like Common Challenge are to these countries, and I am fortunate to have been able to see this firsthand as a participant."

A high-level visitors' day and final demonstration of capabilities took place Sept. 17 in Pirlitor. Participants demonstrated advanced mountaineering and mountain combat techniques, movement and maneuver in complex terrain and coordination between ground and aviation forces during combat and search-and-rescue operations.

The partnership between the Maine National Guard and Montenegro has grown from military exchanges and training to cooperation in areas including emergency management, disaster response, medical preparedness and cybersecurity.

"I am incredibly proud of how this partnership has grown over the past 20 years - from our early exchanges to the enduring friendships, professional development, and operational capabilities we have built together today," said Maj. Gen. Diane Dunn, the adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, while she attended the visitors' day events. "This anniversary is not only a celebration of what we have accomplished over the past two decades, but also an opportunity to look ahead with confidence and excitement about the possibilities that await us in the years to come."

Maine National Guard participants worked alongside Montenegrin counterparts, applying their expertise in communications and medical support while learning how other militaries operate in a challenging environment.

The exercise demonstrated the broader value of the National Guard's State Partnership Program of building lasting relationships through repeated interaction. These relationships help ensure that when forces need to work together, they understand one another's capabilities, procedures and people.

For the Maine National Guard and its Montenegrin partners, the enduring value of Common Challenge 2026 and the State Partnership Program is simple: training together today to be better prepared to respond together tomorrow.