10.11.2018.

Minister Vulin: Exercise is the reason for the pride of every citizen of our country

At the end of the “Century of Victors 1918-2018” exercise, Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin, and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Milan Mojsilović, watched from “Kozara” special purpose ship, at the Titel temporary training area, members of the Serbian Armed Forces in the part of the exercise “Battle group in attack with forced crossing of the river”.

The purpose of the demonstration in Titel is training of the Army units for execution of an offensive operation in the waterway engagement, with close support from Air Force and Air Defence.

The exercise was also attended by Prime Minister of the AP of Vojvodina, Igor Mirović, the Mayor of Novi Sad, Miloš Vučević, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and the local government.

Assessing today's exercise, Minister Vulin said that an exercise such as this one cannot be prepared in a month or even half year or a year.

- An exercise like this is prepared for decades, an exercise like this is prepared with an army that is capable of not only exercising simultaneously at 10 places, but is capable of accepting battle in ten places. There are few armies in the world that can organize themselves in such a short period of time, come out at so many different directions and respond to every demand. The greatest value of this exercise is that we have shown the army exactly as it is, the army that has fulfilled all its tasks, as it would have fulfilled them in the war. These are not combined units, these are organic units, as they are and they were doing exactly what they were prepared for and what they were trained for. An exercise like this one cannot be prepared in a month and it is the fruit of great effort, great perseverance, great patience and great trust in the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Vulin emphasized.

According to him, since 2012 until today, the Serbian Armed Forces has turned from a demoralised and almost deserted army, an army that was supposed to disappear, into a modern, fighting army – an army undergoing renewal.

- Therefore, I wish to thank the supreme commander Aleksandar Vučić for his perseverance and for all these years in which he tried and succeeded in renewing the army, improving and making it better and more modern. And now, before he went to Paris, where he is going to meet with some of the most important statesmen of the world, he invited me and asked me to submit a report when the exercise is over, and the exercise will be over when every soldier is safe and when each of them go to bed tonight. This is care for every person, their safety and security. This is an exercise that showed that our army is capable of dealing with all the challenges and that no one can ignore the Serbian Armed Forces, and if anyone ever think of doing evil to our country and our people, no matter where they live, they will have to know that this contemporary, modern, powerful Serbian Armed Forces is ready to protect our country and our people and our way of life, Minister Vulin said.

The minister of defence congratulated General Mojsilović, Chief of General Staff, on the exceptional organisation and preparedness, General Simović, Army Commander, for all that the Army and all its members showed, General Žarković, AF&AD Commander for a brilliant demonstration, the high readiness of all their members and for that great pleasure that we could, as he said, after many years, see eight MiG-29 planes in the sky above Serbia.

- The sky above Serbia is free, Serbia is free and it will be as long as it has such an army and such people constituting the army. That is why we care about them, their standard, their family's standard, that is why we will have a wage increase again and we will still have better materiel, equipment, and housing construction. And as you can see, therefore we deserve both respect and love of the entire nation. I evaluate the exercise as “very good”, I evaluate the exercise as the reason for the pride of each of our members, and of every citizen of our country, as well, Minister Vulin concluded.

In a very attractive presentation, members of the First Army Brigade, River Fleet, Special Forces Brigade, 250th Missile Brigade and 204th Air Force Brigade participated in cooperation with members of the Ministry of Interior's Gendarmerie.

As General Mojsilovic pointed out, the conclusion of today's exercise is “that all the goals that have been planned have been achieved”.

- Decisiveness, capability, courage, the attitude of our country towards our army and the Armed Forces towards the country makes the Serbian Armed Forces unwavering to continue to be at service of its people, General Mojsilović said.

Participants in the exercise demonstrated the overcoming of a water obstacle, setting up a pontoon bridge, ferry crossing point, as well as infantry, anti-personnel, marine and anti-marine operations.

Prime Minister of Vojvodina Igor Mirović stressed that the exercise showed that the Serbian Armed Forces is changing for the better.

- It showed how it has been changing for the better in terms of organisation, training and equipment. Everything is shown in real time and really leaves a strong impression, Mirović said, adding that he was a “reservist” and hoped that the members of members of the reserve would show once that they were ready to participate in such exercise.

Those present were guided through exercise directors, Brigadier General Željko Petrović, the First Brigade Commander, and Navy Captain Andrija Andrić, the River Fleet Commander.

According to the scenario of the final part of today's exercise, our military personnel first showed the infiltration of a reconnaissance group into the enemy's combat formation, search of the river bed and laying mine obstacles with continuous artillery and aviation support – MiG-29 aircraft and a pair of Galeb G-4 aircraft. On the Tisa River, besides the ships, amphibians were displayed, as well as procedures for the assembly of the pontoon bridge, transport of tanks and other fighting vehicles on a ferry, and the attack by special forces members against the ship.
Prior to the ceremonial parade of the vessels, the River Fleet and Special Forces Brigade showed the antisabotage action of divers with underwater weapons, the action of a group of ships and patrol boats, waterborne and multipurpose ships in the execution of live firings.

The Titel temporary training area is the last of the ten locations within the great exercise with which the Serbian Armed Forces marked the century since the victory in the Great War.