13.11.2013.
Special Brigade team ready for Atalanta mission
12 member Special Brigade team who will be deployed who is going to be deployed in EU naval vessel protection in the Aden Bay on the shores of Somalia passed successfully training evaluation at Belgrade Usce. The evaluation was attended by deputy chief of the Joint Operatons Command Major general Goran Radovanovic and head of the Peace Operations Center Colonel Milivoje Pajovic.Operation Atalanta the part of which from first half of December would be the First Autonomous Team for vessel protection, represents part of a global initiative of the EU for solving the crisis in Somalia characterized by internal political divisons and violence escalations as well as hostage crises due to piracy.
After informal evaluations, during training in France and Greece today’s formal evaluation ‘Pirate 01” has confirmed this elite group’s readiness of the Special Brigade to join partner forces onboard the vessel “Karolina skan” whose mission is protecting vessels of the World Food programme humanitarian organization, and trade vessels in the zone of operations such as diversion, preventive and repressive actions which prevent armed robberies while maintaining water routes open to safe traffic.Speaking of the course of preparations of the SAF team Major General Goran Radovanovic pointed out that our soldiers had exhibited strong military willpower, determination and ability to do the task assigned to them.
The trainings and practice were done jointly with our partners in France, Crete and in our training fields. I am very pleased with the shown level of preparedness as well as the motivation of persons who will be participating in a peace operation which, I am sure, will serve to raise the reputation of SAF and Serbia as the deputy chief of the Joint Operations Command.
Colonel Milivoje Pajvovic remarked that the security risk assessments are done for all missions in which SAF members participate and that operation Atalanta comes first in that respect.Our men are preparing themselves in a simulation of real situation they will face in the Aden Bay in the waters of the Indian Ocean. We already have four officers in this mission, in the operations command in London and one on command ship and they will practically welcome our team which will start their mission aboard the vessel “Karolina skan” in the first week of December.
