10.09.2009.

Minister attends MEDCEUR 2009

Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac attended the practical part of the military medical exercise MEDCEUR 2009. The exercise was also observed by the Charge d Affairs of US Embassy Jennifer Brush, Chiefs of Defense of Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, LTG Miloje Miletic, General Josip Lucic and Vice Admiral Dragan Samardzic respectively, along with Major General Robert Baillie of EUCOM, Assistant Minister of the Interior Miodrag Maric and state secretaries in other state ministries, foreign military representatives accredited in Serbia, NATO MLO reps, and the representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia and the International Red Cross.

After touring the exercise, the Minister said that this was the greatest military medical exercise ever to have been held in Serbia, with the representatives of 15 armies deployed, and a large number of Serbian ministries.

„The very presence of 300 members of foreign armies, a large number of guests and defense chiefs of Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro proves that this exercise has sparked great interest and this today is not only a regional, but a European event. I take this opportunity to express great satisfaction and pleasure with what we saw today, and I thank all the members of the Police Force, of the Ministry of Agriculture and the local self-government of the town of Nis as they all provided help in organizing such an exercise.

Sutanovac added that this exercise deploys the armed forces in its third mission, which is providing civil support” What we witnessed today are all real life events, which happened in the past. In the past, SAF always helped the civilians, and after this exercise it is clear that we are ready to do so in the future as well. This is the most important and largest exercise of this kind in the world this year, and this is worth noting as well as the fact that the whole organization process took a whole year. This is the seventh MEDCEUR exercise and the next one is to be held in Montenegro, where SAF will also take an active role. I am certain that our friends today will take not only god memories of their colleagues but of Nis, too.

SAF GS Chief LTG Miloje Miletic stressed the importance of the exercise at many levels:

“From a military aspect, as general Miletic said, we participated in a planning process jointly with EUCOM, and observing NATO standards and procedures which is one form of training of our commands, as we have insisted on these standards for a year now. We have developed cooperation with 14 countries and this is another form of cooperation within the Partnership for Peace Program via which we are trying to achieve our security interests.

Major General Robert Baillie of the US EUCOM expressed great pleasure with the exercise noticing that the interpersonal relations were at an exceptionally high level: ”It is very important to continue with further development of partnership between all participating countries, as General Bailie said, and he also said he was glad at seeing US EUCOM members participating in the exercise.

In the words of the Assistant Minister of the Interior Miodrag Maric, the Ministry of Defense demonstrated its supreme capacities today and showed that it was developing them properly in the sense of providing prompt, and adequate response in emergency situations, as these tasks pertain to the third mission of the Serbian armed forces. However, we must not forget, as he said,. That other state structures had been present as well giving their contribution to this exercise and helping to realize this exercise in a most glorious manner.

Jennifer Brush, Charge d Affaires of US Embassy thanked the Ministry of Defense for their generous offer to host the members of 14 armies of PfP and to the citizens of Nis for their hospitality and kindness. On this occasion she extended her sincere condolences for the recent accident in the arms plant in Uzice which claimed the lives of seven workers and said that all those who responded with promptness and professionalism are worthy of respect. “Preparations are key to success-as Jennifer Brush underlined, and in case of natural disasters it is important that both the civil and military sector work jointly in responding to these situations. Medical training is important in all crisis situations”. Hs4e pointed out that professionalism and leadership demonstrated by MoD show what an important role Serbia has in the processes of strengthening peace in Europe and the region as well. ”As for Serbia’s future, we are committed to your success, this exercise serves as an example of partnership which will help Serbia and the whole region to take their rightful place in Europe”, as Brush said.

MEDCEUR 2009 has been conducted under the auspices of US EUCOM in one of many PfP signatories for several years now. The Republic of Serbia has been the host of this exercise for the first time in its history, and the goal of this exercise is to train the military medical staff in providing relief to the causalities and the injured in mass catastrophes . the exercise is being held from 2 to 13 September in Nis. During the first week, the exercise participants and the representative of civil organizations attended courses and lectures for various professions in Nis based “Knjaz Mihailo” barracks. The course focused on toxicology, plastic, reconstructive, vascular surgery trauma and neuropsychiatry, and for the first time a CIMIC course had been organized as well.

The practical part of the exercise started on 8 September.

The guests witnessed such contents as providing relief and medical evacuation to those injured and the casualties of a road crash of a bus and a travel vehicle, a chloride tank leak, fire extinguishing mission, hospitalizing the injured in a field hospital.