07.02.2025.
Minister of Defence visits River Flotilla members
As part of his regular and planned tour of the Serbian Armed Forces units, Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić visited today members of the River Flotilla stationed at the Aleksandar Berić Barracks in Novi Sad.
River Flotilla Commander Captain Darko Stričić briefed the Minister of Defence about the unit’s purpose and the tasks performed by its members.Minister Gašić spoke with the members of the River Flotilla about their living and working conditions and the challenges they face, wanting to hear directly from them proposals relating to infrastructure improvement, staffing and the execution of the unit’s tasks.
The minister praised the Flotilla members who had done a lot over the past period to enhance the capabilities and efficiency of their unit, through great commitment, effort and enthusiasm.- The members of the River Flotilla have proven to me that they love their uniform and their unit badge, that they are dedicated to their flotilla and ready to carry out all the tasks assigned to them. They are always there for their people, and they have proven this in countless situations where they made life easier for the citizens, for example, by setting up pontoon bridges. We will make significant investments in the River Flotilla. We will continue to work on improving their status and creating better working conditions for the members of this unit - said Minister Gašić, who also visited the unit’s memorial room and the display of weapons and military equipment at the barracks.
He wrote the following message in the memorial book - From Jadar to the royal Drava, which throughout history defended our borders and cities, the River Flotilla still holds an important strategic place in the defence of the Republic of Serbia.The Minister of Defence also visited the special purpose inland watercraft Kozara, where the ship’s history, purpose and characteristics were presented to him, and then he watched the river units’ display of capabilities, featuring the ship crew’s response to battle alert, emergency movement, falling in formation and movement down the river. In addition to Kozara, multi-role inland watercraft, a landing ship and a patrol ship also took part in the display.
The minister was accompanied on today’s tour by Deputy Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, Lieutenant General Tiosav Janković, Army Commander Lieutenant General Milosav Simović, and the Head of the Office of the Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Goran Momčilović.