The NATO MW COE organized the 5^th Mountain Warfare (MW) Congress, dedicated to Vertical Manoeuvre in Mountain Warfare, from 2-6 October 2023, in Brdo, Slovenia.

The 5^th MW Congress was part of a series of annual events organized under the auspices of the MW COE on topics related to mountain warfare. Encouraged by the success of the previous MW Congresses and positive feedback from the Community of Interest, the MW COE continued with these activities in 2023.

At this MW Congress more than 130 participants heard an ensemble of speakers ranging from mountain unit experts in vertical manoeuvre in mountain warfare to military and civilian scientists. Real life cases presented different nations’ experiences of their preparation processes for mountain warfare. To open the Congress, COL Leon Holc, the Director of the MW COE, and LT GEN Ignazio Gamba, the Commander of the Alpine Troops Command, set its general frame and context; then speakers and experts from different nations and specified domains demonstrated both the military and civilian points of view, thus enabling the participants to reach their own conclusions on their responsibility in real military work as decision-makers.

The basic ambition of the Congress was to provide the Community of Interest with recognized deeper knowledge and real-life expertise in vertical manoeuvre. In addition, a short field exercise demonstrated the specific requirements of vertical manoeuvre in mountain warfare, such as different movement techniques in mountainous terrain and logistical support in such environment.