02.12.2010.

Minister's speech in the National Assembly

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac addressed the Members of the Serbian Parliament at the beginning of today’s Session of the National Assembly of Serbia on the following legal documents: the Bills Amending the Laws on Military, Labor and Material Duties, the Decision on the Cancellation of military service obligation, of Ratification of the Protocol on the Ban or Restrictions on the use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Explosive Devices in 1996 the Law on Ratification of Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro on the exchange of resources and documentation.

"The decision to suspend the obligation of military service is a historic decision that needs to rank the Serbian army and the state with other modern states and armies, organized by the highest standards," said Minister Sutanovac at the beginning of his speech in the Serbian Parliament, adding that a professional army is part of the tradition of our people. Illustrating this claim, the defense minister recalled the history of Serbian state, pointing out that from ancient times there were professional and people's armies. In the First and Second World Wars, he said, professional soldiers and the people’s army fought side by side.

The minister singled out during his exposure the laws that organized the status of the military. In accordance with the shifts in circumstances in our society, the military has changed, said Sutanovac, since 1990s by hiring soldiers by contract, and also, in his words, since 2003 to date 90.000 young men have chose to serve in civil service.

As for the professionalization of the Army of Serbia, the Minister pointed out that this is one of the most comprehensive reforms in the past. In the process, a strategic framework has been completed, along with schools and hospitals were advanced, for the first time women have been admitted into the ranks of professional soldiers the forming of the Defence University is pending, Laws on the intelligence agencies have been passed, with a view of intensifying the international cooperation. In addition, as the minister said, the reputation of the Serbian Army has been restored as well as its reputation in the world has increased, as seen visits to army chiefs of the main world powers such as Russia, China and America in the past year.

Looking back on the defense reform, Sutanovac said that a significant segment of the current and future engagement of the Army would be in particular the participation in multinational operations, adding that our peacekeepers are deployed in six peacekeeping operations, and there is a tendency to participation in peacekeeping missions of the European Union. In addition, efforts are invested in establishing a quality set command and control personnel pyramid in the Serbian Armed Forces the minister stated.

In addition, by mid next year, the Serbian Armed Forces will receive the military chaplain service, as the defense minister announced.

"A professional soldier is a soldier who volunteers to serve in the ranks of the SAF and who is motivated, well-educated, has greater responsiblity and is more willing to fulfill all his missions and tasks, and many times more efficient, and that economic calculation shows that a professional soldier is slightly more expensive for the state, " said the minister.

He said that the professionalization of the army is the wish and aspiration of the vast majority of citizens, the result of previous reforms can be seen in an increase of their trust in the military, which is today, he said, at a high level, indicating that all the armies in the region have been professionalized.

Answering MPs’ questions, Defence Minister Sutanovac underlined that the introduction of the civilian control over the military will be rounded up by the end of 2010.

ON 30 September 2010, the Serbian Government reached a decision to suspend military service obligation, which stipulates that as of 1 January 2011, only those who want to serve in the army will join its ranks. Based on this decision, the obligation to serve in the Army of Serbia shall end when the last class of soldiers is sent in 2010. This also applies to recruits who chose to serve the military service in the civilian sector who will also be able to volunteer for military service.

Sutanovac said that those who have opted for voluntary military service because of service obligations to be abolished in Serbia, should have certain benefits and advantages in employment in government agencies.

Those who undergo military service and thus repay the state should have the advantage in getting employment in government agencies or the police, army, or as court guards, as Sutanovac observed expressing his deep belief that such a decision would be adopted by the government.

He added that they should have a wide range of benefits, that certificates for the handling of weapons, for operating aircrafts or bus are issued everywhere in the world ...

"I believe that we will find opportunities to pay social security for this three-month training so this service is not a waste of time," said the minister.

Defence Minister also pointed out that citizens living abroad and who avoided returning to Serbia because of the military service, will be in the position to come to Serbia now with the suspension of military duty, the liberalization of the visa regime.