56th Class of the School of National Defence Completes Advanced Command and Staff Course

The Advanced Command and Staff Course completion ceremony for the 56th Class of the School of National Defence of the Military Academy was held today at the Conference Hall of the Banjica''2'' barracks.

On that occasion, Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac, pursuant to the order of the President of Serbia Boris Tadic, handed the officer sabres with an inscription to three most successful students – majors Dragiša Simic (9.83), Goran Radosavljevic (9.67) and Sladan Tubic (9.50). Commandant of the Military Academy, Brigadier General Mladen Vuruna, handed the command and staff officers diplomas.

Advanced Command and Staff Course was completed by the total of 63 officers, including 57 from the Serbian Armed Forces, three from the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two from the Montenegrin Armed Forces, and one officer from the Army of the Republic of Macedonia. The generation graduated with honours.

It is a medium level of education in the defence system, after which the students are qualified to command units at the levels of battalion, division, squadrons, and perform staff duties in brigades and other functions in the defence system.

Congratulating the officers of the 56th Class Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac said that the overall reforms that were carried out were significant not only in terms of defence, but also for the future positions of senior officers. Therefore, Minister Šutanovac emphasised, only the most successful and the most persistent will attain the highest positions.

"The formation of the Defence University is underway, for the first time in our country, and we are proud of the fact that we already have foreign officers in our basic studies, but also in the higher education," said Minister Šutanovac, adding that the number of foreign students will be increasing in the years to come .

The recently signed cooperation agreement with Croatia, according to Minister of Defence, includes the possibility of mutual education of officers in the Advanced Command and Staff and General Staff Courses.

Minister Šutanovac told the officers that due to the professionalization of the military their job will be much harder, adding that Serbia was committed to peace. Although there is no military threat to the territory, our country is still exposed to asymmetric threats.

Asymmetric risks and threats do not threaten any country in the world individually, Minister Šutanovac said, but they are security risks across the region, and will soon be a global threat. Because of that, he emphasised, it is very important that we present diplomas to the members of foreign armed forces today .

We have achieved significant results in the field of development of the defence industry, Minister of Defence underlined, thus becoming the leaders in the area from Ankara to Vienna, adding that if the Government of our country recognizes the importance of that capacity, putting certain investments, there is the possibility of expanding the exports. In this way, according to Minister Šutanovac, export in the amount of a billion dollars can be attained, which would significantly contribute to reducing the deficit.

According to the Commandant of the School of National Defence, Colonel Miloljub Sretenovi?, the one year advanced studies of the 56th generation of officers followed the set curriculum that was in compliance with the international procedures and standards, thus achieving the interoperability with the armies around the world.

By the graduation of this generation, Colonel Sretenovi? emphasized, the defence system of our country obtains a significant refreshment and reinforcement needed for the everyday tasks of units and a successful continuation of the reform process in the Serbian Armed Forces, especially at the tactical and operational levels.

On behalf of his colleagues from the 56th Class of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, Major Dragiša Simi? said that he was convinced that our country has received today a new generation of command and staff officers who are highly qualified and fully prepared to successfully complete all set tasks, adding that they will strive to transfer as much of the knowledge gained in the School as possible to other colleagues.

"Being aware of the importance, responsibility and the time in which we live, we will strive to make our commands and units maximally trained up and equipped to perform the assigned tasks," Major Simi? said stressing that in this way they will provide full support to the development of the defence system and create the conditions for successful implementation of the initiated reforms.

A member of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colonel Dževad Džaji?, thanked the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, and specially to the fellow class officers for the hospitality, the successful cooperation and the transferred knowledge during the training on behalf of all foreign students who have attended the advanced command and staff course. He said that the successful cooperation between these countries will be continued to benefit of the common interests and peace.

This year, the students of this form of higher education participated in the design of the exercise of the Military Academy cadets "The Graduate" and they are the first generation of that level of the advanced training that has verified one of the models of tasks at the Centre for Simulation and Distance Learning of the Military Academy.

During the study trips within the expert studies, the officers of the 56th Class visited many units and facilities of the Armed Forces, where they had the opportunity to familiarise with the work our units and have an insight into military strategic performance of the space and a part of the economic, cultural and historical assets of Serbia.

Besides the professors from the Academy, the students were given lectures by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovi?, Minister of Defence Dragan Šutanovac, Minister of Interior Ivica Da?i?, Minister of Finance Diana Dragutinovi?, Minister of Energy and Mines Professor Petar Škundri?, and Chief of the Russian Federation Army Academy General Vladimir Ivanovich Popov, as well as representatives of other major national and international institutions from the field of defence and security.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, defence system and the diplomatic corps, numerous professors, families, commanders and colleagues of the officers.