From 26 September to 2 October 2026, the Romanian Gendarmerie hosted Carpathians Blueshield 2026, an international exercise partially funded by the European Union Training Initiative (EUTI), bringing together gendarmerie, police, military and civilian personnel from 19 countries in a simulated European Union Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission.
EUROGENDFOR contributed to the exercise through the participation of its Commander, Colonel Paweł Grajek, who served as Head of Mission, supported by members of the EUROGENDFOR Staff occupying key positions within the mission structure.
The Evaluation Team was coordinated by Colonel José Barreto from the European External Action Service (EEAS) Civilian Operations Headquarters (CivOpsHQ), providing an external perspective on the performance of the exercise and contributing to the assessment of the mission’s operational readiness.
The exercise provided a valuable opportunity to test multinational cooperation and interoperability in a complex and demanding operational environment. It highlighted the importance of clear communication, shared objectives and coordinated procedures in ensuring the effectiveness of multinational teams.
It also demonstrated that interoperability is built through continuous training and practical experience. Challenging scenarios provide an opportunity to identify gaps, strengthen procedures and enhance preparedness, while structured and objective evaluation allows lessons identified during exercises to be translated into improved readiness for future deployments.
Through its participation in Carpathians Blueshield 2026, EUROGENDFOR reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a high level of operational readiness and to strengthening cooperation and interoperability among international partners.
