Command & Control of the Serbian Armed Forces
Command and Control of the Serbian Armed Forces is based on the principles of unity, continuousness, flexibility, efficiency, operability and safety.
Command relations are based on single seniority and subordination. In order to support the command, command-information systems are being developed at every level.
Command and Control System in the Serbian Armed Forces is organized at strategic, operational and tactical level.
At the strategic level, the Serbian Armed Forces are commanded and controlled by the President of the Republic, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces.
At the operational level, arms of service commands, Training Command and other operational commands, with the organization adapted to the organization of the General Staff, are in charge of command and control.
At the tactical level, command and control is executed by the brigade commands and commands of the units of the equal level with the organization adapted to the commands of operational level.
The President of the Republic:
- decides on the use of the Serbian Armed Forces and commands over the Serbian Armed Forces both in peace and at war;
- establishes the foundations of development and equipping of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- establishes basic peacetime and wartime organizational units of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- defines branches and services within the Serbian Armed Forces, upon Minister of Defence's proposal;
- organizes the command system in the Serbian Armed Forces and monitors its implementation;
- adopts the Plan of Use of the Serbian Armed Forces and issues orders for the use of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- lays down guidelines for building operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, upon Minister of Defence's proposal;
- appoints and releases the Chief of General Staff from duty, taking into consideration Minister of Defence's opinion;
- appoints, promotes and dismisses officers holding positions for which a rank of a general is prescribed, and decides on the termination of their service, upon Minister of Defence's proposal;
- issues orders for the implementation of readiness measures for the Serbian Armed Forces in case of a war or an emergency;
- issues orders for the mobilization of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- issues basic rules and other documents related to the use of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- issues Serbian Armed Forces Service Regulations and other rules regulating the internal order and relations in the military service;
- promotes officers and reserve officers;
- performs other duties related to the command over the Serbian Armed Forced, in accordance with law.
Minister of Defence:
- coordinates and implements established defence policy and manages the Serbian Armed Forces;
- passes documents on the organization of the commands, units and institutions of the Serbian Armed Forces following the Chief of General Staff's proposal, as well as documents on the organization of the military units and military institutions which are, both in their organization and functioning, connected to the Ministry of Defence;
- adopts International Military Cooperation Plan and decides on the organization of the joint military exercises within the country, or on the participation of Serbian Armed Forces members in the joint military exercises organized by foreign armed forces, in accordance with law and signed international contracts, i.e. the agreements on their organization;
- offers his/her opinion to the President of the Republic concerning the appointment and dismissal of the Chief of General Staff;
- proposes to the President of the Republic the appointment, promotion and dismissal of generals and commanding officers performing duties for which a rank of a general is envisaged, as well as termination of their service, taking into consideration the Chief of General Staff's opinion, i.e. the opinion of an authorized member of the Ministry of Defence responsible for professional servicemen assigned out of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- appoints, promotes and dismisses professional servicemen of the Serbian Armed Forces holding positions out of the Serbian Armed Forces, and decides on the termination of their service, taking into consideration the Chief of General Staff's opinion, i.e. the opinion of an authorized member of the Ministry of Defence responsible for professional servicemen assigned out of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- points, promotes and dismisses Serbian Armed Forces officers in a rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel and decides on the termination of their service, upon Chief of General Staff's proposal;
- ecides on the termination of service, if necessary, of Serbian Armed Forces NCOs and officers up to the rank of Colonel (including the rank of Colonel);
- adopts Development and Equipping Plan of the Serbian Armed Forces, upon Chief of General Staff's proposal;
- puts forward plans of education, specialization and provision of scholarship for the need of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and sends professional members of the Serbian Armed Forces to schooling and further specialization;
- decides on the admission of professional members of the Serbian Armed Forces;
- decides on the situation in the service of the officers in a rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel;
- decides on the situation in the service of a non-commissioned officer and officers up to a rank of Captain deployed outside the Serbian Armed Forces;
- decides on relations in the service of professional military personnel deployed outside the Serbian Armed Forces;
- completes other tasks determined by law.
Minister of Defence can authorize the Chief of General Staff to complete the tasks related to the appointment, promotion, dismissal and termination of service of Serbian Armed Forces officers in a rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel.
The Chief of General Staff and Serbian Armed Forces commanding officers command and manage Serbian Armed Forces in accordance with law and other command documents issued by their superiors.
Chief of General Staff:
- proposes Development and Equipping Plan of the Serbian Armed Forces
- appoints, promotes, assigns, dismisses Serbian Armed Forces officers up to a rank of Captain, and decides on the termination of their service, upon a proposal by directly subordinate commanding officers;
- offers an opinion to the Minister of Defence concerning the proposal for the appointment, promotion, dismissal of generals and commanding officers performing duties for which a rank of a general is envisaged, as well as on termination of their service, in accordance with the Law on the Serbian Armed Forces;
- appoints, promotes, assigns and dismisses NCOs and professional soldiers, and assigns civil servants to duties within the Serbian Armed Forces, and decides on the termination of their service, upon a proposal by directly subordinate commanding officers;
- proposes Serbian Armed Forces Manning Plan and the number of recruits in the Serbian Armed Forces;
- issues lower-level doctrinal documents;
- sets forward training and specialization plans for professional servicemen and the military reserve;
- issues the Code of Honor of Serbian Armed Forces members;
- decides on situations in the service of NCOs and officers up to a rank of Captain 1st Class in the Serbian Armed Forces;
- promotes to an initial NCO rank;
- decides on deployment, salary, termination of service in the Serbian Armed Forces and other relations in the service of civilian personnel serving in the Serbian Armed Forces;
- completes other tasks determined by law.
Command and Control System in the Serbian Armed Forces is organized at strategic, operational and tactical level.
At the strategic level, the Serbian Armed Forces are commanded and controlled by the President of the Republic, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces.
At the operational level, arms of service commands, Training Command and other operational commands, with the organization adapted to the organization of the General Staff, are in charge of command and control.
At the tactical level, command and control is executed by the brigade commands and commands of the units of the equal level with the organization adapted to the commands of operational level.