16.07.2013.

Graduation of officers of the 59th class of Command and Staff College

Graduation ceremony for the officers of the 59th class of the Command and Staff College of the National Defence School has been held today at the Conference Hall of the “Banjica-2“ Barracks in Belgrade.

On this occasion, the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff – General Ljubiša Diković, by the order of the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, awarded sabres with inscription to three top officers while the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Aleksandar Nikolić, presented the diplomas on the acquired title of the command and staff officers.

Major Ljubiša Trajković, as in the first ranked, was given a gilded sword, the second ranked, Major of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces, Nebojša Janković, received a silver plated one, while Major of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces, Boris Risteš, and the third ranked, Major Saša Veličković received a sword with the inscription.

The ceremony was attended by the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Zoran Đorđević, the assistant ministers, the members of the Chief of General Staff, Defence Attaché of the People`s Republic of China, teachers, families, superiors and fellow officers.

The training which lasts one school year, from September to July, was attended by 55 officers from the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces, the two officers from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces and one officer from the People`s Republic of China.

Addressing the audience the Chief of General Staff, General Ljubiša Diković first welcomed the most successfully ranked officers as well as the members of foreign armed forces telling them to send the regards to their friends in China and Bosnia and Herzegovina and to keep on trying to further strengthen cooperation and confidence.

He pointed out that the Republic of Serbia is strategically committed to have a strong army to be able to oppose all potential challenges, risks and threats to security and that the state and military authorities should work together to attain this goal.

– The Serbian Armed Forces are not only a warrant of peace and security. By participation in multinational operations our soldiers and officers give their help where it is most needed and promote the reputation of our army in the world – said General Diković pointing out that today the Serbian Armed Forces is the institution which enjoys great level of confidence with the citizens, not only traditionally, but because it does its constitutional role brilliantly and is always ready to help citizens when their security is endangered, not only in a military sense, but also by the threats of natural and other disasters.

Addressing the attendants of the 59th class, the Chief of General Staff said that they became the Command and Staff Officers owing to their hard and industrious work and by successfully defended specialist theses.

– In the course of your training you had an opportunity to get well acquainted with the organization and the way in which the command and army units and organizational units of the Ministry of Defence operate, you successfully solved complicated tactical and operative tasks and mastered the knowledge in various fields, emphasized the General, and confirmed that the officers, by completing this level of advanced training have the path open for further advancement in their careers.

Head of the School of National Defence, Colonel Mile Jelić, pointed out that the Command and Staff College training represents a very important level in education, and upon their completion the officers show the responsibility, maturity, independence and freedom in work, what makes them fit for further career development.

Addressing the audi

ence, the first ranked, Major Ljubiša Trajković, on behalf of his colleagues, the students of the 59th class of the Command and Staff College, pointed out that the two-semester ten-month training of officers was completed and that only the next day the class was going to be assigned to their new or previous duties.

– There will be no more qualifying exams, seminars, exercises and examinations, however, our daily work on responsible duties will require the use of knowledge gained and improved during training. I assure you that we are individually and as a team ready to perform assigned tasks and to fully contribute to the future work of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence – said Trajković.

The Command and Staff College is an intermediate level of schooling in the defence system after which the students are trained to command tactical units of their arms-service at the level of battalion, staff duties in the brigade-level commands, and other duties in higher commands of the Serbian Armed Forces and the organizational units of the Ministry of Defence.

In addition to the professors from the Military Academy, the students of the 59th class were delivered the lectures by the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vučić, the Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection, Dr. Zorana Mihajlović, the Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Žarko Obradović and the Minister of External and Internal Trade and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajić, the Dean of the Criminal and Police Academy, Dr. Goran Milošević, and the other lecturers from our country and abroad.