24.08.2020.
Military Logistics Ready for all Challenges
Through timely planning and good organisation, the Serbian Armed Forces demonstrate sustainability and continuity of its logistics, which apart from successfully satisfying all requirements of the armed forces, assisted civilian population in overcoming numerous and unpredicted challenges caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 virus in our country.
From the moment when emergency situation was declared in our country, and in accordance with the Order of President of Republic and Supreme Commander of Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, recommendations of Republic Crisis Team, and decisions and orders of Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff General Milan Mojsilović, the Serbian Armed Forces has equally put at disposal their human, material and logistic capacities for the purpose of providing support to civilian authorities in the fight and suppression of COVID-19 spreading.
In a very short period of time, through engagement of significant capacities and their own supplies, the Serbian Armed Forces managed to equip and provide all conditions for accommodation and life in temporary COVID hospitals. In total, 5,122 sets of military beds were deployed to temporary hospitals in “Belgrade Fair” in “Štark Arena”, sports halls “Ranko Žeravica” and “Aleksandar Nikolić” in Belgrade, in “Novi Sad Fair”, and in Niš hospitals and sports hall “Čair“, primary school “Duško Radović” and primary school “Mika Antić”.At requests of gerontology centres, additional equipping with 128 beds was done in Mol, Novi Sad and Bačka Palanka, while a camp was set up in Morović intended for reception and accommodation of returnees from abroad by means of erecting 158 tents with 790 beds. Later, the camp was used for housing migrants.
On the whole, throughout the emergency situation the Serbian Armed Forces prepared 6,040 beds from their own supplies, and their units were ready to assist in the same manner, at request and pursuant to received orders, to other gerontology centres, similar establishments and, if needed, to the population.
During the execution of these tasks, more than 35,000 persons were transported and 22,000 tons of different cargo, using more than 2,000 vehicles which drove for some 800,000 kilometres. Particular contribution gave special logistics bodies through their engagement and members of the Central Logistic Base from whose storages the greatest part of the equipment was issued. They were the ones who executed almost all transport of members of Training Command units engaged on setting up all temporary hospitals in Belgrade, and the members of other Serbian Armed Forces members.
At the moment when emergency situation was declared, the supplies of war material reserve in food articles amounted to 100 per cent, which enabled providing sufficient quantities of food in every moment, both for members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, and for the needs of civilian population aimed at ensuring continuous supply of basic provisions.
For the requirements of accommodation, preparation and distribution of food, the average of 20 workers of the Military Establishment “Morović” and around 100 employees of Military Establishment “Dedinje” were engaged every day on 17 locations. During the emergency situation alone, the Military Establishment “Dedinje” received and distributed some 364,000 whole-day meals, which in average makes around 7,000 meals per day.The Serbian Armed Forces logistics was also in charge of reception, accommodation, transport, meals and provision of conditions for daily hygienic needs of all members of medical team from the People’s Republic of China, as well as medical and CBRN teams from the Armed Forces of Russian Federation, who stayed in Serbia in order to provide support in fight against corona virus.
During the emergency situation, logistic units had to be engaged day and night so that the units, daily tasked to maintain operational capability and protect the state, could be concurrently able to provide support to forces engaged on supressing COVID-19.
Good logistics contributed to quality of health protection in all military units through providing supplies to forces during their execution of tasks, maintenance of serviceability of technical assets, providing conditions for accommodation of forces engaged out of their peacetime locations. To prevent the virus from spreading among military personnel and to maintain capability of executing tasks, sufficient quantity of protective supplies and regular disinfection of work premises and used assets were provided to members of the Serbian Armed Forces.
A new task was imposed by severe weather conditions, which affected almost entire Serbia in late June this year causing great material damage. The Serbian Armed Forces yet again demonstrated their readiness to execute their tasks tackling the most complex weather and terrain conditions in order to assist the population.
Besides sanitation of river beds, repairs and reconstruction of damaged roads, construction and reconstruction of levies around flooding rives, stopping and covering landslides, bridge setting up, the Serbian Armed Forces units provided assistance in ensuring supply of drinking water for inhabitants of Ivanjica, Prokuplje, Blace and Kruševac.After abolishment of the state of emergency, the military logistics continued realisation of all required transports of personnel and assents for establishment of temporary hospitals, for the needs of suppressing COVID-19 outbreak, and after deterioration of epidemiological situation in the beginning of July this year, they again provided conditions for life and work in temporary COVID hospitals in Novi Pazar, Belgrade “Štark Arena” and premises of “Šumadija Fair” in Kragujevac.
From the beginning of July until today, the Serbian Armed Forces put at disposal 1,020 beds. Transport capacities of the Central Logistic Base were engaged for transport, while issuing and deploying assets was responsibility of personnel of the Army, Air Force and Air Defence, Training Command and Central Logistic Base.
The Serbian Armed Forces remain ready and capable even in circumstances of increased engagement on suppressing and fighting against the spread of infectious disease COVID-19, to execute all tasks within the assigned missions and protect the state and citizens of Serbia.
