Apart from the Slovenian troops, the military exercise features 950 soldiers from Italy and Hungary.

The goal is to train and assess the Multinational Land Force command and the ability to plan and carry out tasks in a complex environment. Above all the exercise is a big logistical challenge for the Slovenian military, Humar said.

"Housing and training must be provided for a very large number of soldiers in various places [around the country]. So one of the goals is also to see how Slovenian military welcomes allied armies, gives them shelter and works with them," Humar said.

He added that some of the soldiers taking part in the exercise will probably be deployed to an international mission in Afghanistan next year, while some will be sent to Kosovo in October.

The exercise is taking place in several military training grounds across Slovenia. Today, the troops trained in Apače (NE), where a Slovenian soldier was injured in a gunpowder explosion and is being treated for burns.

Apart from Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Dobran Božič, his colleagues from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Hungary are also at the exercise. Also present is Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Patrick de Rousiers, who is on a several-day visit here.