27.06.2018.
Joint Strike 2018 combined exercise of Serbian Armed Forces and Ministry of Interior
There is no higher priority or more important task than the freedom
President of the Republic of Serbia and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, along with Nebojša Stefanovic and Aleksandar Vulin, ministers of interior and defence, respectively, and General Ljubiša Diković, Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, have attended the Joint Strike 2018 combined exercise of Serbian Armed Forces and Ministry of Interior, at the Athletic Stadium in Kraljevo, today.
Congratulating the participants on the successfully completed exercise and accomplished tasks, President Vučić emphasized that military and police members today not only demonstrated their skills, qualifications and materiel they have, but above all that they are ready at all times to defend independence, autonomy and freedom of their Serbia.
- There is no higher priority or more important task than the freedom, safeguarding of Serbia and its independence and its right to decide on itself. We have invested a lot in this freedom, we have paid a huge price, the one that is irreplaceable, which is measured by lives, and that is why the freedom of Serbs and all other citizens of Serbia is so great. And we need army and police like this: equipped, trained and ready, as a guarantor of that freedom and as a bulwark against anyone who could think about endangering our highest value - our freedom. They are the only way to preserve the lives of our people, never to put them in the situations in which they have to wage war and to enable them to live normal and safe lives – President Vučić said.Nowadays, Serbia does not endanger anyone, the president of the Republic said, but it will not allow anyone to make it be endangered either, as our forces have shown today.
- We are not shaking in front of anyone and we are always ready for trade-offs, dialogue and peace, but we are not ready to accept and we will never accept any new “Storms” just as we are not ready for a new exodus or a crime against Serbs. We will not allow this to anyone, and we are showing it today - our reaction in the event of an attack on our country and our people, our security of readiness to defend ourselves and to stop anyone who thinks that today's problems must be addressed violently – President Vučić emphasised adding that he is going to continue to invest in the military and the police, and a part of the new equipment is shown today in this exercise.
Speaking about equipping of the armed forces, President Vučić announced that at the end of this year we will have 14 of the state-of-the-art 4th generation fighter planes, equipped with the best radar systems, and we count on a significantly larger number of helicopters as well as the most modern anti-aircraft equipment. He also pointed out that a lot of efforts are being invested in improving the standards of the members of the defence system and in the ways how to solve their everyday problems in a simpler and more efficient way.- That is why the decision to build apartments for members of our security forces is crucial. Therefore, young soldiers, young men and women, it is very important for you to start and to finish with this problem to the end and so that you can see in the Serbian Armed Forces and the Serbian police your home and your future – President Vučić said, adding that they should be ready to safeguard and protect their country, and that the state of Serbia will know how to appreciate it and invest much more in their future than it did yesterday and today because it invests in its own security.
We are investing in peace and a safe life both in Serbia and in the whole region, President Vučić said, expressing gratitude to participants in the exercise for their strength, qualification, readiness and dedication they showed today towards Serbia, as well as the love they are showing towards our country, because we have no higher priority than our country.
Speaking about the exercise, President Vučić expressed his satisfaction with the exercise demonstrated, adding that all participants, regardless of the complex weather conditions, showed combat readiness, preparedness and qualification, as well as new equipment of military and police members.
- The difference between the condition of the army and the police today and a few years ago is, literally, as salt and pepper, which could be seen even today – President Vučić emphasized, adding that this testifies also to the financial stability of the country, but also the tendency to have a stronger army as it is the guarantor of stability, our survival and peace.
The joint demonstration tactical exercise was conducted involving more than 2,500 members of the Special Forces Brigade of the Army, Military Police Units of the Serbian Armed Forces, the “Cobras” Military Police Special Operations Battalion, combat support units of the AF&AD aviation brigades, and members of the Gendarmerie, Special Anti-terrorist Unit (SAJ), Helicopter Unit, Police Brigade and Police Intervention Unit.
Solving the hostage situation in buildings, motor vehicles and operations against terrorist group in occupied buildings was demonstrated in the framework of several active working points. The exercise was controlled by the Commander of the Gendarmerie, Colonel Goran Dragović, and the aim of the exercise was joint training and practicing of rapid reaction forces of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior for planning, organising and carrying out counter-terrorist operations.- Today you could see once again that members of the army and the police are ready to jointly carry out all the security tasks that are set before them, courageously and responsibly, in order to preserve the security of the state and citizens of the Republic of Serbia - Colonel Dragović, commander of the exercise, said.
After the exercise, there followed demonstration of a SAF infantry rapid reaction echelon, equipped with arms and military equipment according to the “1500 Project” for equipping elite units, and military oath-taking ceremony for conscripts of June 2018 generation.
A tactical display was also presented at the Kraljevo Athletic Stadium, thus the visitors of the present exercise had opportunity to see the presentation of part of the arms and military equipment, as well as the products of the Serbian defence industry.
