14.05.2024.
160th Anniversary of Legal Service celebrated
A ceremony to mark the Legal Service Day and its 160th anniversary was held today in the Military Club in Niš.
Messages were sent by Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Gen. Milan Mojsilović, congratulating members of the Legal Service on their anniversary.
At the ceremony, acting Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Nebojša Nikolić addressed the gathering, speaking about the results of the work of the Legal Service personnel over the past year. He emphasized that, up to and including April 2024, they were actively involved in the development of 77 regulations falling within the competence of the National Assembly, Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, which was an extremely complex and responsible task.
- In the course of 2023, work on the preparation of the new Law on Health Care and Health Insurance of Military Insurance Beneficiaries was intensified, in an effort to regulate this extremely important area that applies to both active duty and retired members and their families, since the retained provisions of the Law on the Yugoslav Army relating to health care are still applied today - explained Secretary Nikolić and added that the draft of the new Law on Military Education has been completed.
He highlighted that in 2023, a normative and legal support was provided for the 5000 Project, which allowed the admission of candidates to the special units of the Serbian Armed Forces through public competition, thereby increasing the strength of those units. That way, he said, the defence system is considerably enhancing the operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, acting in accordance with the current military and security situation. He also expressed delight with the fact that young officers of the Legal Service, civilian employees and civil servants will continue this rich tradition and be the pillars of this service in the years ahead.
The Legal Service Day commemorates May 10, 1864, when the first Code of Military Justice was adopted in the Principality of Serbia, during the reign of Prince Mihailo Obrenović, in line with the European trends of the time. The code established the organisation and activities of courts-martial in normal and emergency situations. As the military service developed, the Decree on Military Discipline was adopted in 1875 and the Law on Military Disciplinary Courts in 1899, and therefore, this year marks the 125th anniversary of the military disciplinary courts.
On this occasion, members of the Legal Service from the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces visited the Church of St. Basil of Ostrog in the Diocese of Niš and paid their respects to new Kosovo heroes - members of the armed forces and the Ministry of the Interior who died in 1998-1999 defending our country against NATO aggression in Kosovo and Metohija and in the period until 2023 in the Ground Safety Zone. As part of their anniversary celebrations, the Legal Service members will also visit the Church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist in Vučje and "Field Marshal Petar Bojović" barracks in Leskovac.
