Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Dr. Nebojsa Stefanovic attended today, together with the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Army General Milan Mojsilovic and US Ambassador Anthony Godfrey, the final segment of the joint training of special operations units of the Serbian Army and the United States Armed Forces at the “Peskovi” range near Pozarevac .
Photo: Ministry
Minister Stefanović pointed out that difficult meteorological conditions, which accompanied today’s activity, are common for members of special units.
– The rain and the strong wind, which was blowing here, show how hard the life of the members of one special unit, one army, is. They must be ready to go out at all times and show that both the time and money invested in their equipment and training are well spent, because they are ready at all times to be with their people and to protect their country – said Minister Stefanović.
He thanked the members of the European Command of the United States Special Forces, adding that this is not the first joint exercise of the two armies.
– We have had several joint exercises in the previous year and that is a good indicator of our interoperability, readiness to learn from each other and to cooperate as partners. This is a good way for our guys to learn and see how other specialists from the largest and most powerful countries in the world do the same. Of course, I want to thank another General Mojsilović and our special forces because, indeed, after extremely difficult weather, extremely difficult conditions, together with the guys from the USA, they showed extraordinary abilities – Minister Stefanović emphasized.
Minister Stefanović pointed out that everyone could see that the exercise was performed exceptionally.
– I must say that we can see progress in tactics and training, and you also saw that our helicopters flew in such difficult weather conditions, which was not the case in the past. Thanks again to everyone who participated – said Stefanović.
Ambassador Godfrey thanked the special units of the Serbian Army as the hosts of this exercise, adding that it is an example of how much we can do as friends and partners.
– I am very grateful that we are here, that our soldiers were together and that this very important joint action was successful. We have learned a lot today, above all how to work together. I am sure that your interoperability is greater now than before – Ambassador Godfrey pointed out.
Members of the special units of both armies, who participated in the exercise, agree that activities like this contribute to a better understanding and improvement of capabilities.
– Cooperation with foreign armies is a special charm, because there are special tactical and operational procedures that can be learned. By learning and cooperating with other armies, we increase our interoperability for some future tasks – said a member of the Serbian Army and singled out the possibility of exchanging knowledge in the field of procedures for operational planning of anti-terrorist operation, medical care of injured soldiers and development of operational procedures during fighting in rural conditions.
According to members of the US Armed Forces, he will leave Serbia with great experience.
– It was a privilege to be in Serbia and practice with colleagues from the Serbian Army. By practicing here we learn how to work together. This was a great opportunity to share experiences and I think we all had the opportunity to learn from each other.
The joint training of members of the special units of the Serbian Army and the US Armed Forces was realized from November 8 until today, and the participants of the exercise had the opportunity to reproduce tactics, techniques and procedures used in counterterrorism operations in urban areas, including the insertion of combat groups using vertical maneuvers, blockades and destruction of terrorists, evacuation of the injured by air until they are pulled out of the operation zone.
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