30.12.2022.
New Issue of “ODBRANA”
The holiday, January issue of magazine "Odbrana” comes out of the print with a new look. The redesign is based on contemporary trends of supreme design, with dominant good and attractive military photography, accompanied by readable text adapted to the eye, and appealing to younger readers.
Traditionally, at the end of each year, we bring the overview of the activities of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces that marked that year. In the section SPECIAL, you may read about exercises that were executed, about arms and military equipment procured for our armed forces, practically, about all three missions of our armed forces. Learn about the most pronounced security challenges that Serbia faced in the previous year.
We have completed the military segment of the magazine with a review of the continuous process of training carried out in December in training centres and training grounds all over the country.
We have observed the days of units - institutions, and some of their significant jubilees. In the segment the DISCUSSION WITH THE REASON, Air Force and Air Defence Commander, Lieutenant General Duško Žarković spoke about the Day of Air Force and Air Defence, the development and equipping of that Arm of the armed forces. He underlined that key analysis conducted at all levels of the Air Force and Air Defence, showed that the year behind us was successful, and that the year 2023 would bring the continuation of procurement of modern assets and systems.
In the eve of the day of the unit, we found members of 72nd Special Operations Brigade in the area of Raška, when they underlined that the past obliges us, the present delivers and the future demands, and our photo reporter Andrija Gavrilović took some unique photographs, recording the details of their work.
We also commemorated the 145 years of existence of the Military Hospital Niš, whose members, day after day, write new pages in our history. In that way, over last several years, they recorded a heroic battle against Covid-19 pandemic, taking care of migrants in Preševo, treating the population of Bosilegrad area, and providing medical protection to the personnel of the UN and local population in the Central African Republic.
In the segment titled CULTURE, we marked another jubilee. On the 100th anniversary of the birth of academician Dejan Medaković, a promotion of his works published by “Prometej” was held in the Central Military Club in December. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević spoke at the promotion stressing that the story about Dejan Medaković was “unstoppable, victorious, and successful, and it speaks much more than one historic epoch”. The words of that man who grasped the essence of historical processes are current even today, and his thoughts on Europe, spirituality, national conscience and national programme still serve as our guidance. This is supported by an interview with the academician Medaković, published on 24th May 1999 on the pages of war issue of the magazine “Odbrana” which we have republished on this occasion.
In the section TRADITIONS, we have reminded you of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, and the four-year struggle which brought a tremendous suffering to the Serbian people, which, at the end of the war, stood in line of the victorious ones, just like our forefathers stood in the line of victors after the First World War.
We bring you a text about the 51st Ski track “Kopaonik”, which is precious both in winter and summer, where generations of cadets, guided by experienced military ski instructors, acquired basic skiing skills and grew to love that sport.
The ARSENAL presents a South Korean self-propelled howitzer K9, with more than 1300 pieces that have been produced up till now. At the global market of self-propelled howitzers, both tracked or wheeled, produced since 2000, the South Korean “Thunder” makes no less than 52 per cent.
The segment GLOBAL took a significant place on the pages of our magazine. Dušan Spasojević, Serbian Ambassador in Greece, discovers in his interview for our magazine that the key and the strongest link of Serbia-Greece relations is the shared feeling of mutual closeness, brotherhood in arms, and friendship founded on common values, spiritual aspirations and historic experience.
We looked back on European energy security, the efforts of the European Union to compensate the shortage of natural gas in Europe, and the measures undertaken to resolve that problem.
A scientific conference “Modern armed conflicts - theory and practice” hosted recently in Belgrade by the Strategic Research Institute, opened essential issues as to whether and to what extend the war has changed, what there is that is new, and what remained the same, and can cosmos be the theatre of contemporary conflicts. The section ABOUT provides the details of that conference.
You may read about a unique exhibition held in the Gallery of the Central Military Club in the section titled CULTURE. This is where the works of Sava Šumanović, one of the most significant Serbian painters of the first half of the 20th century, were presented together with the works of Ilija Bašičević Bosilj, one of fifty most important self-taught painters of the world.
As the New Year and Christmas holidays are drawing near, you may learn in magazine “Odbrana” how Serbian army celebrated Chistmas.
CONTENT OF ODBRANA 368
| FRONT PAGE |
| Pg.2 |
| IMPRESSUM AND CONTENT |
| EDITORIAL |
| Pg. 3 |
| SMILE IS CERTAIN |
| PHOTO COMMENT |
| Pg. 4 |
| 72TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS BRIGADE |
| IN FOCUS |
| Pg. 6 |
| Activities of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces in December |
| PEACE ABOVE ALL |
| DISCUSSION WITH THE REASON |
| Pg. 10 |
| Air Force and Air Defence Commander Lieutenant General Duško Žarković |
| COURAGE, STRENGTH AND PATRIOTISM |
| SPECIAL |
| Pg. 14 |
| Serbian Armed Forces in 2022 |
| SHIELD OF THE FATHERLAND |
| Pg. 22 |
| SECURITY CHALLENGES THAT SERBIA FACED IN 2022 |
| Pg. 24 |
| NUMBERS - MEASURABLE RESULTS OF WORK OF MoD AND SAF IN 2022. |
| SYSTEM |
| Pg. 26 |
| In the eve of the Day of 72nd Special Operations Brigade |
| WITHOUT FAULT AND FEAR |
| Pg. 32 |
| Training in December |
| ALWAYS IN THE FIELD |
| Pg. 38 |
| Military Hospital Niš - 145 years of existence |
| IN SERVICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH |
| Pg. 42 |
| 51st Ski track “Kopaonik” |
| PRECIOUS IN WINTER AND SUMMER |
| ARSENAL |
| Pg. 46 |
| Self-propelled howitzer K9 |
| SOUTH KOREAN THUNDER |
| GLOBAL - INTERVIEW |
| Pg. 54 |
| Dušan Spasojević, Serbian Ambassador in Greece |
| MYSTERIOUS TIES |
| GLOBAL - VIEWS |
| Pg. 58 |
| European energy security |
| UNCERTAIN FUTURE |
| ABOUT |
| Pg. 64 |
| Physiognomy of contemporary armed conflicts |
| COSMOS AS POSSIBLE THEATRE OF WAR |
| CULTURE |
| Pg. 70 |
| Academician Dejan Medaković |
| FALLING FROM GRACE OF CHRISTIAN EUROPE |
| Pg. 74 |
| In the Gallery of the Central Military Club - Šumanović and Bosilj |
| FROM POETIC REALISM TO SYMBOLIC NAIVE ART |
| TRADITION |
| Pg. 78 |
| Celebration of Slava |
| THERE, FAR AWAY... |
| Pg. 78 |
| Eighty years of the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia |
| IN THE LINE OF THE VICTORIOUS ONES |
| ANNOUNCEMENTS |
| Pg. 80 |
| Service information, competitions |
| К-3 |
| CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS IN SERBIAN ARMY |
