21.06.2014.

Tactical live fire exercise "Thunder 2014"

Rapid response units successfully held a tactical live fire exercise titled “Thunder 2014” at the mixed shooting ground Pasuljanske Livade. The exercise was attended by Head of the General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic with members of the extended Collegium, State Secretary Zoran Djordjevic and Assistant Minister of Budget and Finances Srbislav Cvejic. More than 700 members of the Armed Forces of Serbia participated in the “Thunder 2014” exercise, whose goal was to improve commanding capability and efficient use of emergency response forces through completion of tasks of joint forces in combat operations.

Head of the General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic described the exercise as successful and stressed that the emergency response forces are the best of the Armed Forces of Serbia when it comes to the level of their training, equipment and giving commands. He told the participants to work constantly on improving their skills, because the success of all future actions of the Armed Forces depends on their engagement in some possible situations.

One of the most complex exercise activities conducted by the Armed Forces this year was organized by the Joint Operations Command, and it also included units from the Army formation, Air Force, Air Defence and the Training Command. It involved five sailplanes, six missile and radar systems, 11 combat vehicles, 80 motorized vehicles and various kinds of collective arms.

The dynamic part of the exercise involved a total of nine suppositions or tactical situations that involved joint deployment of forces of the Special Brigade, 204th and 98th Airforce Brigade, 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade and 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade and other units.

The spectators had the opportunity of viewing a tactical and technical gathering that displayed arms and equipment used by the units during the exercise.

Emergency Response Forces are professional, impeccably trained units of high level of development assigned for protection of air space, anti-terrorist, anti-rebellion, and diversion and anti-diversion operations. Missions can be conducted independently or in cooperation with units of the Ministry of the Interior and international forces.