Preparations for the Battlefield Tour in Montenegro – Kotor 2025
This week marks the final phase of preparations for the Battlefield Tour Kotor 2025, starting on 13 October 2025. The event will begin focusing on the battles for the Lovćen massif in January 1916 — a remarkable episode of mountain warfare that remains of great interest to both historians and military professionals alike.
What makes this year’s Battlefield Tour particularly distinctive is its emphasis on the joint operations conducted by the Army and Navy during the campaign. The cooperation between land and naval forces in 1916 was not only tactically significant but also strategically exceptional — an early and forward-looking example of combined operations. The coordination of coastal defense, naval fire support, and maritime logistics for mountain troops demonstrated a level of inter-service integration that was highly innovative for its time.
During the tour, participants will visit key historical sites to analyze the operational dynamics of these joint efforts. Questions such as How were supply lines maintained from the sea? What role did naval artillery play in mountainous operations? What lessons can be drawn for modern joint warfare? will be explored in depth. Beyond the historical context, the tour aims to derive practical and educational insights applicable to today’s complex operational environments.
The 1916 Lovćen campaign was defined by extreme weather, difficult terrain, and immense logistical challenges — factors that underscored the necessity of close coordination between different branches and services. These elements form the analytical core of the Battlefield Tour: planning and execution, command and control, communications, and sustainment under the harshest conditions.
Participants will engage in guided terrain walks, tactical-historical briefings, comparative discussions on modern Joint Operations, and professional exchanges with subject-matter experts. The ultimate goal is to connect historical experience with contemporary doctrine and to expand the collective understanding of mountain warfare and inter-service cooperation.
We are confident that this Battlefield Tour will provide not only a deeper appreciation of a historically significant campaign but also a valuable contribution to the ongoing development of integrated and adaptive operational concepts. The focus on the unprecedented cooperation between the Army and Navy in early 1916 highlights how innovation, even in the most difficult circumstances, has always been at the heart of effective military practice.
