Opening ceremony kicks off Combined Endeavor 2008 Published May 7, 2008 By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy Fowler Combined Endeavor 2008 Public Affairs LORA NAVAL BASE, SPLIT, Croatia -- Combined Endeavor 2008 officially began today at CE08 Forward Operation Site (FOS) in Lora Naval Base, Croatia with a brief opening ceremony, led by U.S. Army Maj. Thomas Addyman, site director, and Croatian Armed Forces (CAF) Lt. Col. Davorko Jokic, the host nation support commander. "What we will find here is a very successful exercise," said Addyman. "This is a chance to engage with other countries ... and take away friendships and good memories, as well as professional contacts we can all use in the future." Training exercise CE 08 enhances the procedural and technical experience levels and overall knowledge of participating nation planners, enabling them to draw upon more than 13 years experience coordinating with more than 40 nations rapidly deploying communication networks. According to Addyman, CE08 gives participating nations the rare chance to work alongside their coalition counterparts in a training environment. "We are not just working together," Jokic said. "We are building friendships during our time here for use in the future." CE08 is the 14th in the series of U.S. European Command-sponsored "in-spirit-of" Partnership for Peace (PfP) exercises. The current deployment to Croatia tests the interoperability of U.S., NATO and (PfP) nations. "I have done this [exercise] four times already, and we are doing a very important mission," said Armenian army Maj. Harutyun Iskarndaryan. "We are here to improve our knowledge and technology and make friends with other countries. It is very good for peacekeeping and anti-terrorism and we need to be sure to work together." One of the main challenges the communication teams face is the difference in the equipment, tactics, techniques and procedures used by each country. Some countries have newer technology in comparison to others, but communication "testers" work hard to ensure everyone's communication systems fit together seamlessly. "This is the eighth time I have taken part in this exercise," said CAF Staff Sgt. Jurica Miksic, one of the FOS testers. "We are here to gather information about equipment, personnel and (communication) connections. The first few days can be tough, but as we integrate, things start to get easier. We will face the challenges of new people who are not sure of protocols and connecting different systems." "The people here have learned the interoperability needed for downrange," Addyman said. "It's not only lessons learned (here), it's building camaraderie. I've deployed with coalition forces, and it's always good to know that the person on the other end will do his best for you. These types of exercises ensure that happens." The communications exercise concludes May 14, but the lessons learned will continue far into the future.