11.06.2017.
Welcoming the Participants of the Exercise “Platinum Wolf 17”
Towards the military exercise “Platinum Wolf 17” which is going to take place in South Base from 12th to 23rd June, the largest contingent of the foreign armed forces to participate in the exercise has arrived today from the USA to Serbia.
The Minister of Defence, Zoran Đorđević and the US Ambassador in Serbia, Kyle Scott welcomed today the members of the US Armed Forces at the Belgrade airport “Nikola Tesla”. The total of 80 members of the National Guard of Ohio will participate in the exercise “Platinum Wolf 17”.
Đorđević emphasised that for Serbia, it was very important military exercise since it would contribute to strengthening operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces.
- Our soldiers will have something to learn from the members of US Armed Forces who are very experienced, but we will have something to share with them as well. The exercise “Platinum Wolf 17” represents a continuation of the cooperation which will certainly be deepened in the years to come – the Minister of Defence said.
According to the words of Ambassador Scott, the exercise will be an excellent opportunity for everyone to see how to react and cooperate together.
- This military exercise is good for regional cooperation, and the arrival to Serbia of the group of members of the National Guard of Ohio is yet another indicator of partnership, friendship and military cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces- Scott stated.
During the exercise “Platinum Wolf 17” the units will train the use of non-lethal weapons, the procedures during the engagement in multinational operations and actions and procedures in multinational environment. One of the goals of the exercise is the exchange of experiences of the units from their engagement in peacekeeping operations so far.
The planned participation includes around 450 soldiers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Hungary, USA, Slovenia, United Kingdom and Montenegro, while the command and management of the exercise is going to consist from the representatives of the partner countries participating in the exercise.
The Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed forces develop international military cooperation implementing the principled policy of military neutrality, which implies a balanced approach to cooperation with all the partners worldwide. The Serbian Armed Forces cooperate with more than 60 states. The key goal of joint exercises and training is to increase operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces.
On the basis of the Programme for Bilateral Military Cooperation with the USA, in this year more than 130 activities will be carried out, out of which seven activities are joint exercises. Furthermore, 41 activities have been planned in the framework of the International Military Education and Training.
