Presentation of awards to the gradutes of 53rd class of GS college

The graduation ceremony for 44 students of 53rd class of GS college of the School of National Defense where 39 officers from the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian armed forces, three officers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and one each from the Macedonian army and the armed forces from the Russian Federation, was held today in the National Assembly.

The ceremony was attended by the president of Serbia Boris Tadic, Spokesperson of the National Assembly Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Minister of defense Dragan Sutanovac, SAF CHOD LTG Miloje Miletic, representatives of ministries and religious denominations and other MoD organizational units of MoD and SAF, as well as numerous diplomats and DAs accredited in our country, and the families of graduates.

While presenting the award, President Tadic presented officer sabers to commanders who have successfully completed their studies for the most responsible duties. On this occasion, the president said that Serbia was a factor of stability in the region, and that its army was committed to providing security to citizens, but is also a factor of stability in the South eastern Europe, as an extraordinary potential for the development of the country.

In his congratulatory address, on occasion of recent events in Kosovo, President Tadic asked the international institutions for help and to respond promptly while preserving peace in this Serbian southern province. He stated that Serbia will not respond to any provocations which could pose Serbia’s stability at risk as they are both crucial and unavoidable factors of peace and stability in SEE.

Serbia has done nothing to endanger the security of citizens, as Tadic stressed, and has an international credibility that demands respect and reaction which guarantees peace and stability. In his words, Serbia is a democratic country, which knows how to manage a crisis and therefore will not respond to any provocations. The President of Serbia said that SAF was a factor of stability and the growth of one country, as well as its international credibility.

– In order for our country to have a high level of credibility it has to participate in international peace operations. There is no country which deserves respect but avoids totake risks which could benefit stability and peace, as Tadic said. The Serbian armed forces have to be ready and capable for international interoperability, participation in peace missions, as this represents a guarantee of its ability to protect the integrity of its own country.

President Tadic said he was proud at having commanders from neighboring countries at GS college, announcing that Serbian would in the upcoming period modernize its army regardless of the economic crisis. We are approaching a time when the Serbian army would become fully professional which means that serving the army will not be an option, and that this would mean alienating the army from the people.

SAF have one of crucial roles in the projections of our country and is treated as a potential for growth. Furthermore, it has other research potential, adding that military education should provide a new generation of officers as well as a link with technological growth that is application of skills and knowledge.

On behalf of 53rd class of GS college, Colonel Slavoljub Dabic stressed that the attendees gained knowledge and mastered skills by taking an insight into our defense system. This will help them contribute to the future work in the most responsible posts in the SAF and MoD.

–They got acquainted with modern security challenges and integrations in other security systems, and the directions of the modernization of the defense system of Serbia, but also to upgrade their knowledge on current and potential risks, challenges and threats to security in the world, surroundings and our country, too.

The officers studied military strategy, commanding and operatics and management. The lectures they attended were in theory on conflicts, foreign strategies, and doctrines, as well as the international humanitarian rights an civil-military relations. The lecturers were teachers from the Military Academy, as well as the Prime Minister of the Republic, ministers of defense, finance, energy and mining, SAF CHOD, Undersecretaries of our ministry and Assistant Minister, as well as commanders of SAF operational units. They also had an opportunity to listen to the lectures of the Defense Ministers of the Czech Republic and Hungary, and reps of the UK defense Academy.

WE even organized various study trips home and abroad along with commander trips across Serbia. With the support of the Kingdom of Norway, they visited the NATO HQ in Brussels, European command for joining, Joint Operations Department in Mons, while also visiting a site of the Waterloo battle.