Description of Roles of Appointed Officials

Minister of Defence
Bratislav Gašić

In order to perform the activities of state administration, pursuant to provision of Article 23 of the Law on State Administration, the minister of defence manages the Ministry of Defence, passes legislation and decisions in administrative and other individual matters and decides on other issues from the scope of the work of the Ministry of Defence and reports to the Government and the National Assembly for the work of the Ministry of Defence and the situation in all fields of defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.

In order to perform the affairs of defence and Serbian Armed Forces, in accordance with the provision of Article 14 of the Law on Defence, the minister of defence proposes and implements defence policy and ensures execution of laws and acts of the President of the Republic in the field of defence. While performing his duty, the minister of defence passes: orders, commands, directions, decisions, rules, guidelines, instructions, regulations and other bylaws under the authorities granted by the Law on Serbian Armed Forces and other laws.

For the implementation of acts passed by the President of the Republic, and for passing bylaws upon the authorization of the President of the Republic, the minister of defence passes: orders, commands, guidelines, decisions, rules and other acts and is responsible for their execution.

The regulations in the field of defence and the Serbian Armed Forces are published in the "Official Military Gazette”.

President of the Republic may delegate presidential authorities pertaining to defence stipulated in Article 11 of the Law on Defence to the minister of defence, with the exception of decisions on the use of the Serbian Armed Forces, decisions on appointments, promotions and dismissal of officers that fall under the responsibility of the President of the Republic, in accordance with the law and presidential authorities.

State Secretary

The authorities of a state secretary are stipulated in Article 24 of the Law on State Administration. A state secretary is an official who assists the minister within competences determined by the minister.

The powers of a state secretary are stipulated in Article 24 of the Law on State Administration. A state secretary is an official who assists the minister within competences determined by the minister.

State secretaries are:

State Secretary - is authorized to monitor and coordinate activities that fall within the competence of the Budget and Finance Sector, Material Resources Sector, Military Health Department, as well as the performance of tasks pertaining to the functioning of the Ministry of Defence; to monitor and coordinate activities pertaining to the settlement of status matters for professional members of the Serbian Armed Forces in the aforementioned organizational units, as well as hiring individuals to work with the aforementioned organizational units outside an employment relationship; to sign documents that fall within the competence of the aforementioned organizational units by which the materials are submitted to the Government for consideration and decision-making, as well as opinions of the Ministry of Defence on materials submitted by other bodies to the Ministry of Defence for opinion; to chair the Human Resources Management Council in the Ministry of Defence.

State Secretary - is authorized to monitor and coordinate activities that fall within the competence of the Defence Policy Sector, Public Relations Department and the Defence University, i.e. the activities pertaining to scientific research and scientific projects carried out within the Defence University and to inspect reports and other documents within the purview of organizational units whose activities he or she monitors and coordinates. As for the execution of tasks within the purview of the aforementioned organizational units that fall within his/her competence, he/she is authorized to sign documents by which the materials are submitted to the Government for consideration and decision-making, as well as opinions of the Ministry of Defence on materials submitted by other bodies to the Ministry of Defence for opinion.

The minister cannot authorize a state secretary to issue regulations, nor to vote at Government sessions.

A state secretary holds a position of an official appointed and dismissed by the Government upon the proposal of the minister and his or her duty ceases at the end of the term of the minister.

Assistant Minister

Authority of an assistant minister is regulated in Article 25 of the Law on State Administration. An assistant minister manages a defined field of work of the ministry for which a sector is established, and he or she is accountable for their work to the minister. An assistant minister is appointed by the Government for a five-year period pursuant to a law regulating the status of civil servants.

Assistant ministers of defence are:

Acting Assistant Minister of Defence Predrag Bandić – manages the Defence Policy Sector;
Acting Assistant Minister of Defence Siniša Radović – manages the Human Resources Sector;
Assistant Minister of Defence Nenad Miloradovic, PhD – manages the Material Resources Sector;
Acting Assistant Minister of Defence Goran Momčilović, MSc– manages the Budget and Finance Sector.
Acting Assistant Minister of Defence Бориша Рољић – manages the Infrastructure and Hospitality Services Sector.

Secretary of the Ministry

Authority of a secretary of the ministry are defined in Article 26 of the Law on State Administration. A secretary of the ministry assists the minister regarding human resources management, financial, IT and other issues and harmonises work of internal organisational units of the ministry, and cooperates with other bodies, and he or she is accountable for his or her work to the minister.

A secretary of the ministry is appointed by the Government for a five-year period upon the proposal of the minister, in accordance with the law regulating the status of civil servants.