31.12.2016.
Address by Minister of Defence to MoD and SAF members in Odbrana magazine
Dear members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces:
Thanks to your work and sacrifice, we are entering the year 2017 proud of the fact that Serbia now has an armed force capable at any moment to defend its country and people. Despite all the challenges, Military service is not an easy job anywhere, neither in the richest countries, nor in the best paid and most modern and highly equipped armed forces in the world. But the social status of members of the defence system should not discourage us because the struggle for its improvement is and will be our constant task! It is especially so, having in mind the responsibility and sacrifice that the military profession bears.
Military service, as we know, consists much less of the ceremony and parade, and much more of training, patrol, duty, guard, night and day, in the barracks and the wastelands, in all weather conditions.
That is why I have an understanding for the dissatisfaction of part of the members of the Armed Forces, those who believe that the economic situation can be fixed by the activities of the trade union. However, I cannot agree with the way in which they express their dissatisfaction. The soldiers do not belong on the streets, or it does not befit soldiers to publicly call their most senior commanding officers unworthy names. And we all know that among the officers whose name is found under the barrage of charges are mostly those who defended the country during the war and many times risked their lives for the honour of their uniforms and their homeland.
Although at first glance, to individuals it seems to the contrary, rest assured that no trade union can be greater friend of the Armed Forces and the soldiers than the Government of the Republic of Serbia. There is one sufficient reason for this – the Government of the Republic of Serbia, its president and defence minister, are responsible to the citizens of this country for the situation in the country and in the defence system. On the other hand, when you do not have the responsibility, as trade unions do not have it, you can allow yourself to say or ask for anything at all, using any means necessary to reach a short-term solution.
Thanks to the savings in the budget and smart management of the public money, together we created conditions for the increase of salaries in the defence system by five percent. Although many say that this amount is insufficient, one should know that at the moment the country cannot allocate more. For the time being, any reallocation within the defence budget is not possible, as some speculate, as this would jeopardize the functioning of the system and the defence of the country! Such problem-solving and endangering the security of all citizens of the country is unacceptable and nobody should be so irresponsible as to require additional wage increases at the cost of not performing the training, not securing the border, not protecting the air space, not realizing the shooting, not replenishing uniforms. The people, that believes in its armed forces the most, nobody has the right to deny security, and members of the Serbian Armed Forces have always been together with their people through thick and thin.
I remind you that the increase in salaries in January is one of many steps we make on the way to a fundamental and comprehensive raising the standard of all employees in the defence system. I have reason to believe that we will, if we strictly stick to the course of economic reforms and the government, increasingly be able to bring good news to employees in the defence system.
Having in mind the need to provide housing for the members of the defence system, we will continue, also in the new year, with the program of subsidized housing loans, for which 300 million dinars have been earmarked, and during the year we will try to provide additional funds.
We promised that there will be no layoffs in the defence system. Moreover, in the new year, we will work on increasing the number of people, especially those personnel that recorded a significant outflow in the previous period.
Dear members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence is doing its best in a straightforward way, to influence the improvement of standard and quality of life of its members. This is the only ministry that has entered into agreements with some thirty companies that offer significant discounts or sell goods and services to members of the Armed Forces in instalments without interest. There are ongoing negotiations with the NIS company, that should ensure the purchase of petroleum products with constant discount for our members. This good and certainly useful initiative came from one of the trade union organizations in the system and the Ministry is pleased to support it. We will support and will be happy to realize their every constructive idea, if it does not endanger the reputation of this institution and the security of all citizens of the Republic of Serbia. I believe that these and similar ideas will be some of the reasons for professional soldiers to feel security and a desire to stay in the military service as long as possible.
I would like to add with pride that all citizens of Serbia, and especially you, the members of the Armed Forces, were happy with the news that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić told few days ago, that the Russian Federation will donate our country six MiG-29 aircraft from the composition of its Aerospace Forces. These are aircraft that are currently in use, completely serviceable and with minimal adaptations ready for operational use in our armed forces.
Searching for optimal long-term solution for our Air Force, and with a lot of understanding and support of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, we decided for these six aircraft, together with the four that we already have, to overhaul them and equip them with the state-of-art weaponry, radar, optoelectronic systems and communication devices. By that, in about a year, when this process is complete, we will have on our aprons a squadron of ten contemporary fourth-generation fighters and our sky will certainly be the safest in this part of Europe.
Modernization and service life extension for these ten aircraft will cost around EUR 185 million and by this investment, the Republic of Serbia will solve the problem of efficient protection of the air space over the next 14 years. The Government provided that money by behaving as a good host in management of the economy, but it should be noted that this investment in the security of the country will in no way affect the standard of its citizens. In addition to the six fighters, the Russian Federation has donated part of its fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers.
This year, our Air Force is richer by two multi-purpose helicopter Mi-17B5, which recently landed on Batajnica airport, and we are expecting also the purchase of western made helicopters. We are introducing Lasta trainer aircraft into operational use, and it has been planned to modernize Orao and Galeb G-4 aircraft and overhaul Gazelle helicopters.
Morava self-propelled modular system and NORA B-52 self-propelled gun-howitzer are coming soon from the plants of our defence industry. The Military Technical Institute is currently working on 55 research and development projects, some of which are in the final stage.
The traditional friendship between our country and Russia does not stand in the way of the European integration, or partnership relations with NATO countries within the framework of the Partnership for Peace Programme. Serbia is a militarily neutral country, with the strategic goal to join the EU. We are developing partnership relations with all the relevant factors of global security, because it is the only way to resist the threats that today are primarily viewed through terrorism and religious extremism.
By participating in 11 multinational operations, seven under the auspices of the United Nations and four within the European Union, with 325 members of the Serbian Armed Forces deployed, we are contributing to the world peace. The most numerous deployment is in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, with a total of 177 members and a mission in the Central African Republic MINUSCA with 72 persons, mainly doctors and medical staff of the Military Medical Academy. In all rotations in 2016, MoD and SAF were involved with 645 members in total in 12 missions. Having in mind the size of our Armed Forces, it puts us among the most significant European contributors to the world peace, and the professionalism with which our colleagues in peacekeeping missions perform their tasks enhances the reputation of the country and the armed forces.
The willingness and ability to stand shoulder to shoulder and work with the best-trained and best equipped armies in the world is evidenced by the fact that last year you have practiced and trained with colleagues from more than 30 countries. The fact that the Serbian Armed Forces is skilled and capable of organising and executing the most complex and most extensive exercises on almost the entire territory of the country is best illustrated in "Morava" exercise with participation of about 13,000 members.
Equal and mutually beneficial relationship is our imperative in the development of cooperation with the countries of the region. We believe that the Balkan countries have a strong interest in developing cooperation in the field of defence and security. Migrant crisis is the best proof that the unity and close coordination among the countries that are in the way of refugees is a prerequisite of keeping it under control.
Members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces are engaged every day in the protection and control of the state border performing this task very successfully. They prevented intentions of more than 18,000 illegal migrants to enter the territory of our country.
The Serbian Armed Forces is still the institution that enjoys the greatest trust of the citizens of Serbia. The merit of this is ours, starting from the youngest soldier to the Chief of General Staff. We must not forget that its reputation was built for centuries and that our generation has vow made to maintain and strengthen it. The army was and still is the biggest hope of Serbian citizens. It is a great honour, but also an obligation, under which backs of soldiers bent so many times. I am convinced that everyone who wears the uniform and has a feeling of belonging to the Serbian Armed Forces, regardless of whether it is an officer, a non-commissioned officer, a soldier, a military servant, a civil servant or an employee, a cadet or a student of a military school, properly understands the responsibility that this position bears.
I firmly believe that 2017 brings us prosperity and peace, and I wish all members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces a happy New Year and Christmas holidays!
Minister of Defence
