05.05.2011.

Marking the day of the Military Intelligence Agency

In the House of Guards in Topcider an evening reception was organized on the occasion of the Day of Military Intelligence Agency (VOA) - 6 May.

The ceremony, marking the 91st anniversary of the service, was attended by the Serbian President Boris Tadic, Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac, Ministers in the Serbian Government, deputy chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Milan Bjelica, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Army, the Police, religious communities, military attaches accredited in Serbia and many other guests.

In the congratulatory note sent to all the members of the Agency on occasion of the Day of MIA, President Tadic said that the military intelligence agency today was one of the major security and intelligence system factors, and its members take on a great responsibility to ensure the safety of the Republic of Serbia and its citizens.

By their work and achievements over the past year, he added, the Agency has significantly contributed to the strengthening the security of the Republic of Serbia and expressed their belief to do so in the future.

Minister Sutanovac, congratulating the holiday to all members of the Military Intelligence Agency, said that in the modern world modern risks and threats impose make it necessary for the militaries to undergo modernization, downsizing in order to achieve maximum effectiveness , while on the other hand they are forced to boost their intelligence components. They are often, as he added, the key element in preventing conflict situations.

-In previous periods, the strength of a military was measured in terms of the quantity of weapons it had, today its effectiveness is what counts, and providing timely information can be the key to efficiency. It is therefore very important to the develop intelligence sector – as defense minister remarked. He recalled that during the past few years, the defense system had been largely transformed, reformed and modernized, both security agencies had undergone the same process. Today, he said, we have modern agencies that represent us in the world and perform their duties and in the country.

According to him, our military-diplomatic representatives are also the representatives of our defense industry, as evidenced by data that our most important partners in the military industry are those countries where our defense representatives are strongest. - We have rounded up the reform process in terms of monitoring the work of the Inspectorate and military agencies, and we got the Inspector General for these agencies, thus ending a part of the reform process - said the Minister of defense minister.

Welcoming the guests, deputy director of the MIA Brigadier General Dragan Vladisavljevic said that today's date is not only of historical importance, but it is a chance for all its members to show the importance of the Agency in the defense system.

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I am convinced that in the year behind us, the Agency had managed to get a comprehensive view of the whole security situation in line with the needs of the country. This is what helped the decision-makers to formulate possible solutions to the current state of security risks and threats - said General Vladisavljevic, remarking that the members of the Agency would strive to continue this positive trend in the future as well.

The Military Intelligence Agency marks its Day on May the 6th, when in 1920, the Regulation on General Headquarters and general Staff profession of the Kingdom of Serbs became effective, by which the Intelligence Department of the GS was established. This was the first time that the intelligence function was made into a separate organizational unit.

The tasks of Intelligence Department were studying foreign states and armies, data collection, as well as maintaining links with foreign military envoys and missions. Organization of work on the suppression of enemy action in order to collect data on our military and country, were also tasks the former Intelligence Department. Over time the role and tasks of the MIA were adjusted to contemporary global trends, and today it is a an intelligence agency collecting data from abroad within the Ministry of Defense in the service of the defense system of Serbia.