25.10.2012.

"River 2012" Joint Exercise

In the presence of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, Defence Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Ljubisa Dikovic, Head of Sector for Emergency Situations of the Serbian Ministry of Interior Predrag Maric, Commander of the Gendarmerie Bratislav Dikic and a number of distinguished guests from the state and military leadership, at the Tisza River on the part next to Titel, "River 2012" exercise has been successfully completed by demonstration of the capabilities.

Rating the exercise which was conducted in the period from 22 to 25 October on the territory of Serbia, in 48 locations throughout 59 suppositions in real time – as very successful, President Nikolic, greeting all the participants, said that he was pleased to observe the today's demonstration which showed the skilfulness and readiness to respond to difficult circumstances, in situations that regularly occur in Serbia.

- You are operating excellent, and I would like that you do not have the opportunity to do such jobs. I wish to tell you that Serbia will invest a lot of efforts to protect its citizens and property of the rivers that swell, especially in the spring, after the snow melt, and that we will equip you with additional technique with everything you need, because no equipment and no exercise are as expensive as consequences when something for which we are unprepared happens, the President of Serbia said and thanked all the participants on their level of training.

- On behalf of the citizens of Serbia I wish to tell you that I have begun to feel safer than before because I know – what is up to personnel, you are going to provide to the citizens, and the citizens will be able to understand that when they allocate money for this purpose, they do it for themselves, finished President Nikolic.

Acknowledging that he agrees with the assessment made by the Serbian President, Defence Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that any investment in equipment, technique, and primarily people who are to assist in carrying out the third mission of the Serbian Armed Forces and joint efforts of all elements of the system to defend citizens against disasters, is justified.

- The more we invest today, the less we are going to lose tomorrow, and I think it is good that the entire state leadership have had a chance to see how our people are trained, skilled and brave, how devoted they are. Our greatest strength in dealing with natural disasters are people, and our duty is to help them, to equip them in every way so that they can more easily address these problems in the future, Minister Vucic said.

During today's forty-five-minute presentation, the distinguished guests were presented the ability to cope and eliminate such hazards and diminishing the effects of a major flood. The demonstration consisted of ten suppositions that are in direct correlation with the consequences that can be caused by flooding, with a focus on the evacuation of the population and movable material.

During the exercise organized by Joint Operations Command of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, where, apart from the Military, Gendarmerie and the Sector for Emergency Situations of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Red Cross and Mountain Rescue Service participated as well, a remarkable level of training for response in emergency situations has been shown in the last three days.

The ultimate goal of the exercise, according to the most responsible persons in the Joint Operations Command, is that the Military test and demonstrate its capabilities, the quality of the procedures envisaged for such incidents, while not being the sole holder of activity but being a part of the system, in cooperation with other institutions involved, which, within their scope of activities, make a full contribution to the joint mission to protect the civilian population.
Exercise gives a practical answer to the question – which capacities of the Serbian Armed Forces are available, which is the best way to coordinate with other parts of the system for the protection of citizens in situations of natural disasters, and what is the best possible way for the optimum operational functioning in situations imposed by the third mission of the Armed Forces.

The ultimate goal is to define and institutionalize procedures so that reaction in a situation does not depend on the ability of an individual or a person's will, but that the procedures are in place to guarantee the resilience of the nation, which is based on knowledge and experience.

Activities related to carrying out of the "River 2012" exercise, which was practically conducted from 22 to 25 October, have lasted from February this year, since the conference for certification, through a series of activities throughout the year, today's presentation, to the concluding analyses and reports that will be finalized in December.