19.01.2022.
President Vučić Attended Briefing on Results of Analysis of the State, Operational and Functional Capabilities of Serbian Armed Forces in 2021
The President of Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović PhD and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Milan Mojsilović, attended the briefing on the results of the analysis of the state, operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces in 2021. This event took place in the Guard Club in Topčider.
Addressing the media at the press conference that followed after the briefing, Minister Stefanović pointed out that 2021 was the first year after a long time in which we had a positive score, meaning that the overall influx of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers was higher than the outflow. He also expressed his satisfaction with the way in which the year 2021 ended in terms of the procurement from national industry, subjects of contracts to be procured from abroad and he stressed that in the months to follow, owing to huge support of President Vučić, we expected the continuation of the strengthening of Serbian Armed Forces units through the provision of arms and equipment.
- We had an opportunity to hear the report presented by the Chief of General Staff and generals responsible for assigned Directorates in the General Staff, and I am glad to have been in a position to hear about all newly achieved capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces and the state within the military and equipping. The previous year was marked by the fact that it is the first year after a lot of time in which we recorded positive trend, meaning that the overall influx of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers was higher than the outflow – Minister Stefanović stressed.
According to his words, that is something we are not entirely satisfied with, which is why the General Staff set ambitious goals for 2022 as well, and for the years to follow, and they also increased the number of assigned positions for the employment of new personnel.
- What we did manage, owing to the engagement of President Vučić, is to increase the salaries, and in this month as well, we will have a new increase of eight per cent, as we have already announced. All of that has positively influenced the people to perceive the armed forces in a different way, and stopped the people from looking for better paid jobs in other sectors, and to have the people, in whom we invested, and in whose education and training we invested, stay in the units of the armed forces and in the Ministry of Defence.
Of course we will not settle for what we have achieved so far, and we want to achieve even better results by new investments in our men – Minister Stefanović stressed.
Speaking about today’s briefing, Minister Stefanović emphasised that the Chief of General Staff had provided detailed information about the equipment of the Serbian Armed Forces.
- I want to say that I am rather satisfied with the manner in which we ended 2021, with what we managed to procure from the national industry, with what was contracted to be procured from abroad and we truly expect in the months to come, owing to huge support of President Vučić that we received throughout the previous year, that we will continue strengthening the units of the Serbian Armed Forces with arms and equipment. We will continue the cycle of cooperation with national defence industry, and we expect, both in the upcoming period and all four quarters of 2022, a significant number of new vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, howitzers, PASARSs, NORAs, multiple rocket launchers, a large number of ballistic protective equipment kits for our armed forces - Minister Stefanović announced.
According to Minister Stefanović’s words, that will be a considerable qualitative step forward.
- I wish to thank the Chief of General Staff and all the people in the General Staff because we have managed to have the armed forces with new capabilities, owing to their immense work that they did. I want to thank the people in the Ministry of Defence and all people who have worked closely together with the General Staff so that, after so many years, today we have a completely different capability of seriously acting in night conditions. That is something that the military might have had 20 years ago in certain domain, but now it can perform such tasks in a much more serious and capable manner. I have singled that out because it is a completely new step forward - Minister Stefanović emphasised.
He underlined that the procurement of antitank systems Kornet, increased our range of anti-armour combat at 8km.
- Every day, the armed forces are acquiring new capabilities, and with education, permanent training and continuous practice we will try, by providing new equipment, new uniforms, new ballistic protection, to make life easier for our men, apart from increasing salaries and providing housing, and improve the quality of their lives and the lives of their families. I believe that this year as well will be marked by more significant influx of men and more significant response in terms of voluntary military service, since the majority of those men truly do find their future in professional units of the armed forces – Minister Stefanović concluded.
Today’s briefing was also attended by Speaker of the National Assembly Ivica Dačić, Minister of Interior Aleksandar Vulin, Chairman of the Security Services Control Committee Igor Bečić, Chairman of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee Aleksandar Marković and Chief of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petković.
