13.08.2020.
Minister Vulin: The Serbian Armed Forces are an invaluable ally
The Minister of Defence,Aleksandar Vulin, visited today members of the infantry company who are preparing for participation in the UN peacekeeping operation UNIFIL Lebanon in the “National Hero Stevica Jovanović“ barracks in Pančevo.
After the visit, Minister Vulin pointed out that the Serbian Armed Forces take all their missions seriously, and that is why “we must prepare for our participation in peacekeeping operations in the best possible way”.
- We send our young men and women to difficult places where it is necessary to bring, ensure and maintain peace, but also to the places where we represent Serbia, the Serbian Armed Forces, our country and our people. Regardless of all the incidents that occurred in Lebanon, I am happy to say that, at this moment, none of our members are injured or endangered in any way, they are all healthy, none of them are infected with Covid-19, they are all safe and they are looking forward to coming back home – said Minister Vulin.
- The new contingent, which is preparing to depart to Lebanon in February, is undergoing training and preparations for everything that awaits them. All members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the 11th Infantry Battalion show great motivation and readiness to work, to participate in the peacekeeping operation and to show that the Serbian Armed Forces are an invaluable ally. Whichever peacekeeping operationsthe Serbian Armed Forces went to, they have always received words of praise and the desire for them to come in larger numbers and to stay longer. The Serbian Armed Forces, wherever they are, always show how valuable the state of Serbia is and how good and reliable partner it is – the Minister of Defence concluded.
The commander of the infantry company which is preparing for participation in the multinational operation in Lebanon, Major Zoran Cvejić, said that having completed the selection process for the infantry company, they are conducting individual four-week training in the “National Hero Stevica Jovanović” barracks in Pančevo.
- After the completion of the training, the infantry company is sent to the “South” Base where they will undergo collective training. The focus of this part of training is to prepare sections and platoons for the execution of tasks that await them in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. At the end, an evaluation is carried out, i.e. an assessment of preparedness for the deployment to the mission, lasting four days, after which the infantry company is ready, it gets a certificate and it can be deployed to the peacekeeping mission – Major Cvejić pointed out.
One of the members of the Infantry Company, Master Sergeant Želimir Mega, spoke about various segments of individual training – the training of the drivers of combat vehicles used in the mission, the training of gunners outside combat vehicles, the training of medics and the training in handling personal weapons, optoelectronic and telecommunication equipment.
- All members are motivated for the execution of this task and each individual is doing their best so that we can successfully carry out collective training of the infantry company – said Master Sergeant Mega.
During today's training, members of the infantry company demonstrated their work in the tactical operations centre and practiced complex tactical tasks that can be expected in multinational operations, such as patrolling, escorting convoys, performing first aid and wound treatment.
During the training for participation in multinational operations, defined procedures are applied in order to achieve interoperability of forces from different countries and ensure successful execution of tasks in a multinational environment.
The Deputy Army Commander, Brigadier General Vladeta Baltić, and the Deputy Commander of the First Army Brigade, Colonel Radovan Gajić, also visited members of the infantry company today.
