05.09.2016.
A decade of the Serbia – Ohio National Guard Partnership Programme
The ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the State Partnership Programme between the Republic of Serbia and the Ohio National Guard was held tonight at the Central Military Club in the presence of Nenad Neric, State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, General Ljubisa Dikovic, Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Kyle Scott, the US Ambassador to Belgrade, Major General Mark Bartman, Ohio National Guard Adjutant General, and representatives of the state institutions.Speaking about the importance of cooperation within the State Partnership Programme between the two countries, State Secretary Neric pointed out that pre-deployment training, military medical cooperation, advanced training of officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as joint exercises are part of a broad range of activities in which members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio national Guard prepared and trained together.
Highlighting joint efforts in the implementation of the project of the South Base Peacekeeping Operations and Pre-Deployment Training Centre, State Secretary Neric expressed his belief that, although there is still a lot to do, this centre will rank among the most modern ones in this domain, not only in this part of the region, but also beyond.
- I believe that you are all more or less familiar with the activities of civil-military cooperation, which have been implemented since 2009 in the framework of the "Humanitarian Assistance" project. We intensified also our activities of military medical cooperation, which is currently being implemented through the trilateral joint military exercises of the Angolan Armed Forces of, the Ohio National Guard and the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces in the village of Reljan. Of course, there are also a number of other joint activities with clear orientation to improve them in the forthcoming period – State Secretary Neric said.
Apart from the knowledge and experience that our members have gained in working together, as State Secretary Neric assessed, quality of the programme of Ohio National Guard and the Republic of Serbia is reflected primarily in establishing friendship between the members of our armies and peoples, and so it should remain in the future.
According to Ambassador Scott, the Republic of Serbia and the Ohio National Guard State Partnership Programme is one of the segments of a successful and lasting cooperation and friendship, which is a unique opportunity for building solid and lasting bonds.
- Development of the South Base Peacekeeping Operations and Pre-Deployment Training Centre confirms the value of such long-term relationships because together we can build something of great importance, and it takes time. That is exactly the reason why the establishment of lasting personal relationships is crucial. Overall, the assistance of the US government for the development of the South Base was worth more than seven million dollars, and for all this time, managers and workers on this project came and went, but the " Ohio team" has remained invariable – ambassador Scott emphasized, adding that civil-military cooperation is also an important aspect of the State Partnership Programme, particularly in the field of provision of assistance in case of natural disasters.He pointed out that the forthcoming exercise of Combined Medical Engagement in southern Serbia is an excellent example of how such cooperation produces results even outside the military, expressing also the confidence that in the next ten years this cooperation will reach even more significant achievements.
The Republic of Serbia and Ohio State Partnership Programme is being implemented on the basis of the signed Status of Forces Agreement, and the official start of cooperation in the field of defence was marked by the first visit of the Ohio National Guard Adjutant General, Major General Gregory Wayt, in September 2007. In the past ten years, military-to-military cooperation has been constantly developing so that today the United States assesses the State Partnership Programme with Serbia as one of the most successful among more than 60 established programmes around the world.
