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Multinational Engineer Battalion Tisa
(Hungarian: "Tisza" Többnemzeti Műszaki Zászlóalj;
Romanian: Batalionul Multinaţional de Geniu "Tisa";
Slovak: Mnohonárodný Ženijný Рrápor "Tisa";
Ukrainian: Багатонаціональний Інженерний Батальйон “Тиса”,)
is an engineering unit intended to quickly respond to flooding and other natural disasters
in the catchment basins of the Tisa and Duna river. (It will be changes when ALL country agreed)
Initial idea for creation of such unit was voiced by Ukraine in December 1998. The battalion was created on November 15, 2002 after Heads of General Staff of Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak and Ukrainian Armed Forces signed the Technical Arrangement on Implementation of Intergovernmental Agreement on Multinational Engineer Battalion Tisa in Budapest. The name comes from river Tisa.
Each participating country contributes an engineer company up to 200 soldiers to the battalion.
The annual exercise is held by participating nations on a rotational basis. The exercise is held under the name ``BLONDE AVALANCHE``. First exercise was held in Ukraine in 2002.
Romania handed over the Steering Group Chairmanship to Slovakia on 29th January 2021 (via VTC, because of COVID-19 situation).
This means, that in 2021 the Slovakian Armed Forces provide the commander of the battalion and Slovakia will be the host nation of the BLONDE AVALANCHE-2021 exercise.
The Technical Arrangement is under review in order to extend the battalion’s area of responsibility from the Tisa basin to the river Danube basin as well. It gives possibility to neighbour countries to join the battalion. (HUNGARY declared already in January 2021.)