BAKU, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The NATO Evaluation Level 2 Exercises (NEL-2) was launched here with the participation of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces' infantry battalion, the country's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The evaluation takes place as part of the Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback Program (OCC E&F).
The OCC E&F is a practical multipurpose military tool that serves as a vehicle for closer operational relationship between the Alliance and potential contributor to NATO-led operations by supporting partner efforts to develop forces that are fully interoperable and capable of operating with NATO standards and procedures.
A total of 700 military personnel, 80 military vehicles and four helicopters have been involved in field exercises for re-evaluation of the unit at Garaheybat Military Training Center of the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry in Baku.
A team of inspectors from NATO's Allied Land Command evaluated the unit via a variety of technical inspections and skills demonstrations.
In 2010, Azerbaijan declared an infantry battalion to the OCC E&F process and successfully conducted an OCC level 1 self-evaluation which was observed by the experts from NATO, US and Turkey.
The exercises will last until June 2.