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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

All segments of Serbian ground forces improved

Nis, 18 February 2009

Serbian Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac said today that the operational capacities of the Serbian Army’s ground forces have been improved in all segments.

Sutanovac presented an analysis of the operational capacities of the Serbian ground forces in 2008 at a press conference, stating that the target level has still not been reached because of reasons unrelated to the defence system such as finances and problems that remained unaddressed during the past.

He said that the main tasks of the Defence Ministry will be to adopt strategic documents, a national security strategy, a defence strategy, a strategic overview of defence as well as a military doctrine.

He said that the goal is to ensure that the law on military, labour and material obligations and the law on civilian staff, which the Serbian government has already adopted and put before parliament, are passed within the next three months.

The Minister said that he expects that after that the drafting of the laws on civilian protection, agencies, weapons and military equipment production and the Serbian Army’s participation in multinational operations outside Serbia will be completed.

One of the most important tasks will be to strengthen civilian and democratic control over the armed forces, said Sutanovac, adding that the European Commission has praised Serbia for work in this area and progress in this area is important for EU integration.

Sutanovac said that organisational changes will be made to the Defence Ministry in accordance with current challenges, adding that the process of modernization and professionalization will continue this year.

He stressed that the project for the professionalization of the Serbian Army will probably not be completed until the end of 2010 as planned because of the current financial situation. He said that more than 5,000 applications were received for the 2,400 army jobs advertised which shows that people’s confidence in the army is returning.

He said that the engagement of Serbian troops in peace operations is being discussed, but the final decision will be made by Serbian parliament. He also added that in mid-2009 Serbia will open its office within NATO in Brussels.

Sutanovac stressed that the Ministry will continue to take care of the material status of Army employees, adding that the housing issue for around 1,000 employees will be solved this year.

We are also trying to reform the military education system. We have introduced training for officers at four levels and this year we will also introduce a high security and defence course, specified the Minister adding that the realisation of the master plan will be continued in 2009, which implies the sale of non-lucrative facilities.

He announced that the Cepotina base will be finally completed, adding that it could have been finished before end-2008 but only at the expense of quality.

According to him, a new facility will be built so that the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Army General Staff can be housed under the same roof.

Chief of General Staff Major-General Miloje Miletic said that the Serbian Army’s tasks in 2009 can be divided into two groups, specifying that the first refers to tasks stemming from defined missions, while the second is related with the continuation of reforms in the Army.

As for these reform tasks, the goal is to develop the army’s operational capacity, which is why we will modernise training, our technical capacity and gradually introduce a professional army, explained Miletic.

He stressed that by developing the operational capacity, the Serbian Army will become a reliable partner for other countries and will be able to participate in the suppression of all forms of security threats.