30.01.2024.
President Vučić attends meeting presenting results of 2023 analysis of Serbian Armed Forces' capabilities
The President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević and the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, attended a meeting at the Guard Club in Topčider today, where a presentation of results of the 2023 analysis of the state of affairs, operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces was given.
The briefing was also attended by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, President of the National Assembly Vladimir Orlić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić, Minister of Finance Siniša Mali, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petković, and senior officers holding the most responsible duties at the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.Today’s meeting discussed capacity strengthening, President Vučić said, and it was concluded that the Serbian Armed Forces have maintained and improved their operational capabilities over the past several years, which we have paid for dearly, and we will pay even more this and next year, because in two and a half years’ time, more than 500 new assets will be delivered by the domestic industry alone. The President of the Republic also announced that we would continue to invest in all defence industry factories and institutes.
During the static display of the Serbian Armed Forces’ weapons and military equipment, President Vučić said that we must speed up the arming of the Serbian Armed Forces dramatically, strengthen the domestic industry and increase our recruitment numbers. He announced that new units equipped with drones would be formed. According to him, it will not be easy to finance it all, but we have to rely on our capacities.President Vučić also said that there was great interest abroad in the latest version of the Serbian armoured personnel carrier Lazar-3. An order has been issued to produce 80 Lazar and 112 Miloš fighting vehicles, President Vučić said, and an important electronic jamming system is expected to arrive from the Russian Federation. According to him, funds have been secured for 701 weapons systems, but we still need to provide funds for another 853 systems produced by the domestic industry.
The President of the Republic expressed his belief that by the end of the year, the Serbian Armed Forces would be able to procure a large number of domestically produced kamikaze drones.
- I believe that through cooperation with a number of businessmen and relying on our domestic know-how, we will be able to showcase a large number of suicide drones, or kamikaze drones, by the end of the year. Everything will be domestically produced, which will give Serbia a great advantage over other neighbouring countries - said President Vučić.According to him, the procurement of new weapons requires more soldiers and training, so the Serbian Armed Forces will now have new units as part of armoured units that will operate drones.
- A larger portion of money always goes to salary increases because it is not a one-time expense, but a huge amount of money is spent on our weapons and equipment. This meeting with the Serbian Armed Forces, which we have once a year, is the most important one for us and in it, we discuss the situation and what should be done in the next year - said President Vučić.
Serbia is a serious country with a serious military, President Vučić concluded. We are preparing, he said, to save our country, because in the current circumstances "if you don't have a strong enough military, you won't have a country or a state".- Therefore, we must strengthen our defence and the so-called total defence, we must be ready, we do not threaten anyone, we protect the country and deter potential aggressors - stressed President Vučić during his visit.
Minister Vučević said that the Serbian Armed Forces had presented to the state leadership, primarily the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander, the results of analysis of operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces for the year 2023.
- We talked about the tasks and plans for 2024 and took the opportunity to showcase in a static display some of the weapons and military equipment that the Serbian Armed Forces have at their disposal, but also the development projects carried out by the Military Technical Institute and other companies of the Serbian Defence Industry. The results achieved by the Serbian Armed Forces in 2023 have been evaluated positively, progress is obvious - Minister Vučević said.
They also discussed what needs to be improved, he said.- I am satisfied with what the members of the Serbian Armed Forces did in 2023, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Chief of the General Staff and all members of the Serbian Armed Forces on the tasks fulfilled and goals achieved in 2023, and to remark that the tasks and goals for 2024 are even higher. We would also like to thank the President of the Republic for patiently listening to all our plans, expectations, i.e. demands - stressed Minister Vučević.
Minister Vučević also thanked the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, for attending the meeting, as well as the Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly and the Minister of Finance for their support in the past year, without which the Serbian Armed Forces would not have been able to achieve all that they had.
- A lot of tasks await us in 2024. I believe that the Serbian Armed Forces will be the source of pride for all citizens of Serbia, the guarantor of the preservation of the sovereignty and independence of our country and the most powerful deterrent against all threat actors, because stronger armed forces are the guarantor of peace for Serbia - said Minister Vučević.The President of Republika Srpska, Dodik, thanked for the opportunity to see the Serbian Armed Forces at today’s display, which, according to him, are better equipped and better trained every year and committed to preserving peace for Serbia and all Serbs. He congratulated the state leadership on its decision to increase Serbia's defence power as part of the country’s neutrality strategy.
- Serbia is now without doubt the strongest defence force in the region. The Serbian people in Republika Srpska believe in peace, too. They believe in Serbia, we are happy about Serbia’s progress and its ability to defend its territorial integrity and the freedom of the Serbian people - said Dodik.
The meeting, led by General Mojsilović, considered the security situation in the country and the surrounding area having an impact on the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, the combat ability of the Army, the Air Force and Air Defence and Territorial Forces, the state of affairs in units and the overall ability of the Serbian Armed Forces to carry out assigned missions and tasks. The proposal put forward by the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff to repeal the National Assembly’s decision on the suspension of military service obligation was presented and explained in greater detail.The analysis results show that the continued equipping of the armed forces with modern weapons and military equipment, the overhaul and modernization of materiel, the organizational and mobilization improvement of units and intensive training over the past year has contributed to a comprehensive strengthening of the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, which remain capable of addressing potential security threats.
It was concluded that the planned and special tasks had been completed fully, safely and professionally, for which the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces praised all officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers and civilians serving with the Serbian Armed Forces, or working in the Ministry of Defence.
At the briefing, the medium-term priorities and needs of the Serbian Armed Forces and proposals concerning further enhancement of capabilities were expressed, and gratitude was expressed to the Supreme Commander and the Government of the Republic of Serbia for strongly supporting the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff’s plans and activities aimed at strengthening the Serbian Armed Forces as a factor of peace and stability in the country and the region.Upon completion of the analysis, President Vučić, accompanied by Minister Vučević and General Mojsilović, attended the display of modern domestically produced and imported weapons and military equipment with which SAF units are or will be equipped this year and in the coming years.
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