16.12.2022.
Minister Vučević visits members of River Flotilla
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević visited the members of the River Flotilla in the "Aleksandar Berić" barracks in Novi Sad today. According to Minister Vučević, it was an opportunity to inspect the equipment, the level of training, and the morale of the members of the River Flotilla.
- I have been familiar with what this unit does for quite some time, and now, as the Minister of Defence, I have gained a deeper insight into the unit’s state of affairs. What is most important is that the Flotilla, regardless of all the challenges it faces that need to be addressed in the coming period, and that should not be kept a secret but should be discussed openly, is capable, well-trained, brave and ready to protect our rivers and waterways, and that Serbia is a safe and sovereign country in that aspect as well - said Minister Vučević.
The Minister of Defence was welcomed at the Novi Sad barracks by Army Commander, Lieutenant General Milosav Simović, and was briefed about the purpose of the River Flotilla units and tasks they perform on Serbia’s waterways by River Flotilla Commander, Captain Ljubiša Marković.
Minister Vučević observed a segment of river units’ training, featuring a combat group of multi-purpose inland watercraft carrying out a manoeuvre. He also visited a display where some of the weapons and military equipment used by the River Flotilla’s river units and engineers were displayed.
While visiting the River Flotilla’s memorial room, the minister was presented with part of the history of the unit from the 19th century Šajkaš Battalion, whose tradition is still preserved by the unit, to the events that took place during the First and Second World Wars, with special reference to the heroism demonstrated in the April War, 1941, by the crew of the Royal Ship Drava and its commander Aleksander Berić, after whom the barracks in Novi Sad were named in 2008.