Q:
A:
US Defence Cooperation Office opens
Belgrade,
6 June 2007
Serbian Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac and US Ambassador to Belgrade Michael Polt signed today a statement on opening the US Defence Cooperation Office in Serbia.
Michael Polt, left, and Dragan Sutanovac
Author:
Tanjug
At the opening ceremony, Sutanovac said that this is a huge step in bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries and added that over the past three years the number of joint activities of Serbian and US military forces increased sixfold.
According to him, the education system is the most efficient way for speeding up reforms in the area of defence and therefore training for Serbian officers in the US is of crucial importance.
He explained that the office will be within the US Embassy to Serbia and its first director will be lieutenant colonel in the US Army Aleksandar Milutinovic.
At first it will employ seven people and it is expected to be fully formed by the end of summer or by the beginning of autumn, Sutanovac said. Polt said that the Office will take measures to include Serbia into the Partnership for Peace programme and announced that the US will give over $500,000 in assistance for the advanced training of Serbian military professionals during next year.
He specified that 40 Serbian Army officers will study in the US in 2008 and added that on June 14 and 15 Serbian officers will travel to Ohio to begin training for combat brigade operations.
Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Army Lieutenant-General Zdravko Ponos said that two very important areas of work of the Office are realisation of the programme of state partnership with Ohio and participation in the international education programme which the US offers to partner states.
Since the signing of the SOFA agreement nine months ago, we have had ten joint activities with the Ohio National Guard, Ponos said and added that after the completion of organisational changes in the Serbian Army, training and educational programmes will become a priority.
According to him, the education system is the most efficient way for speeding up reforms in the area of defence and therefore training for Serbian officers in the US is of crucial importance.
He explained that the office will be within the US Embassy to Serbia and its first director will be lieutenant colonel in the US Army Aleksandar Milutinovic.
At first it will employ seven people and it is expected to be fully formed by the end of summer or by the beginning of autumn, Sutanovac said. Polt said that the Office will take measures to include Serbia into the Partnership for Peace programme and announced that the US will give over $500,000 in assistance for the advanced training of Serbian military professionals during next year.
He specified that 40 Serbian Army officers will study in the US in 2008 and added that on June 14 and 15 Serbian officers will travel to Ohio to begin training for combat brigade operations.
Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Army Lieutenant-General Zdravko Ponos said that two very important areas of work of the Office are realisation of the programme of state partnership with Ohio and participation in the international education programme which the US offers to partner states.
Since the signing of the SOFA agreement nine months ago, we have had ten joint activities with the Ohio National Guard, Ponos said and added that after the completion of organisational changes in the Serbian Army, training and educational programmes will become a priority.
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