07.07.2017.
Completion of the Education of Officers of the 60th Generation of General Staff Course
On the occasion of completion of education for the officers of the 60th generation of the General Staff Course, National Defence School, today at the celebration held in the House of National Assembly, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić conferred officers’ sabres to three best ranking officers. Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vulin presented officers’ sabres to the rest of the officers who have completed this type of career advancement.
Congratulating them on successfully completed Course, the President Aleksandar Vučić reminded that during the previous period they had learned how to apply a preventive, efficient and interdepartmental approach to defence matters, and that the task was not at all easy but that, owing to high quality advancement programmes and their determined efforts, they were trained to find solutions to the most complex security challenges.
- You had an opportunity to acquire competence to discharge high duties in defence system, and the focus of your advancement was placed on the assessment of long-term security trends, developments and elements of national security policy and cooperation with other defence systems at regional and global level – President Vučić said and expressed his belief that, with that new generation of officers who had completed the General Staff Course, Serbia gained a generation of future leaders in defence system at strategic and operational level of decision making.
The President added that there existed no greater value to protect than freedom and that officers were expected to prove themselves worthy of the confidence given to them.
- I am proud of you, the best officers, and I know that you will safeguard the independence of our Serbia, because we do not have another homeland and we have to defend it against all challenges – President Vučić said.
Speaking about the negotiation process for the accession to the European Union, he pointed out that it was important for us, since we would be getting closer to accomplishing the goals of initiated reforms, those being a modern Serbia, as an efficient state attached to honouring established values upon which it had been founded.
- Our country will not relinquish our traditional friendships under anybody’s and any king of pressure. These friendships will not be solely founded on the appreciation of men of literature and painters but also on good and economic tasks in the future, and good defence cooperation as well – Vučić stated.
The President said that we owed our gratitude to the families of the officers, since they, by supporting the honourable calling of their husbands, brothers, parents, had always been on the side of their Serbia and he announced betterment of conditions for the members of defence system and higher salaries by the end of the year.
Vučić underlined that he was particularly glad that the officers of foreign armed forces also successfully completed the Course, and he especially greeted them pointing out that their stay in Serbia witnessed a sincere intention to raise our interstate defence and security cooperation to the highest possible level.
-Military Academy, as part of the University of Defence, possesses educational capacities for a comprehensive education of officers, fully qualified to tackle security challenges – the President of Serbia said, and, addressing the officers, stressed that he knew that there were no rich ones among them, but that there was a lot of honour, more than at any other place.
He added that he believed that they would be determined in their work to use the gained knowledge to the overall wellbeing of society, and that they would direct their efforts towards a higher goals, strengthening defence of their country, and that a resilient and strong security system of the country, together with developed international cooperation, would enable the citizens to live and work in peace and develop their country – President Vučić stated.
Addressing the President of Serbia, on behalf of all 60 attenders of the Course, the best among them, Lieutenant Colonel Staniša Đikić said that the homeland could count on their dedication and responsiblity and that they were ready to adequatly respond to every challenge and threat.
-Even tomorrow, on our new duties in the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, we will apply the acquired knowledge and skills that we gained owing to great help of teachers and superior officers rendered during the advancement – Lieutenant Colonel Đikić said and extended special gratitude to the families of the officers for their support and understating during their education.
The celebration held in the House of National Assembly was also attended by the President of National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Maja Gojković, Ministers of the Government of Serbia, Chief of General Staff of Serbian Armed Forces, General Ljubiša Diković, members of the Board of Minster of Defence and Chief of General Staff, representatives of public political life, church and religious communities and academic community, defence attachés in the Republic of Serbia, families and friends of the attenders.
The General Staff Course is combined in its character and represents the third level of career advancement of officers the aim of which is to develop leadership capabilities of officers for strategic thinking and efficient command in a broad spectre of national and international security challenges.
This year, 28 attenders from the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces have completed the General Staff Course, along with three officers of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and two from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Macedonia.
The most successful were Lieutenant Colonel Siniša Đikić with average score of 9.80, Lieutenant Colonel Ivica Stanković (9.60) and Lieutenant Colonel Predrag Jovičić with average grade 9.20, while the 60th generation of the Course graduated with the average grade 8.66.
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