07.11.2022.
Military Technical Institute Day celebrated
A celebration to mark the 74th anniversary of the Military Technical Institute, the most important domestic defence technology research institution, was held today at the institute’s amphitheatre.
At the celebration, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević emphasized the importance of the Military Technical Institute for the entire defence system and reminded that, thanks to this institute, more than 1400 items of materiel were now used by the Serbian Armed Forces.According to the minister, we live in times of new challenges that we, as a state and a society must keep up with. He asked the Military Technical Institute employees to continue to follow new scientific and technological achievements.
- My congratulations go to you and the Military Technical Institute for its 74th anniversary, but also to all the generations, all the employees who have preserved and developed this prestigious research institution which has been a source of pride for all its current and former employees whose commitment has enabled us to gather today, make an analysis and look back at everything that the Military Technical Institute has been doing for 74 years – said Vučević.
Minister Vučević considers fascinating the fact that this institute has been dealing with research and the development of weapons and military equipment for almost seven and a half decades. - The fact that you have 24 laboratories and permissions to do the most demanding research work makes you aware of what Serbia expects from you and what your task are. Thanks to our defence industry, but also to the Military Technical Institute, more than 1400 items of materiel are in operational use in the Serbian Armed Forces today, and 75 percent of the overall weapons and military equipment are domestically produced, which makes us proud and satisfied – said Minister Vučević.
According to the minister, we understand that the circumstances have changed, that we live in times of new challenges and that we, as a state and a society, must keep up with the new global phenomena so as not to lag behind.
He pointed out that the state leadership and the citizens expected the Military Technical Institute to understand what was going on in the world and what we should to do to increase our defence capability.
- So that we are strong enough to act as a deterrent against those who have bad intentions towards us – emphasized the minister and expressed his belief that the members of the Military Technical Institute kept abreast of the latest developments in science.According to him, it is very important to reinforce the Military Technical Institute, primarily in terms of staff.
- It will not be easy for us to obtain the best staff, nor to keep the existing one. We cannot put all our ideas into practice if we do not have human potential to do it. From researchers and scientists to all the things that the Serbian Armed Forces and other security structures should implement and utilize daily in order to protect the national interests of the Republic of Serbia – said the minister and underlined that, in that sense, there was no book with “golden solutions” and that joint efforts were needed.
The director of the Military Technical Institute, Colonel Bojan Pavković, PhD, briefed the audience on the current projects and spoke about this research institution’s development prospects.
- Nowadays, the Military Technical Institute is the largest scientific institution dealing with research and development of weapons and military equipment in this part of Europe, and the leading defence technology research institution in Serbia – said Colonel Pavković.According to Colonel Pavković, the Military Technical Institute’s greatest success last year was the production of 14 new items of materiel that are being introduced into the armament of the Serbian Armed Forces. That would not have been possible without the support from the Ministry of Defence, he emphasized.
As a sign of appreciation for business cooperation over the last year, the director of the Military Technical Institute awarded a plaque to the following companies: “Prvi Partizan”, Užice, “Teleoptik-Žiroskopi” and the Chinese “ALIT”. Also, awards and certificates of appreciation were presented to the most deserving individuals.
Today’s celebration was also attended by Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradović, PhD, Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, Assistant Minister for Budget and Finance Katarina Pavičić and many other guests.
The event also included the performance of the MoD Artistic Ensemble “Stanislav Binički”, conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Igor Mitrović.The Military Technical Institute Day is celebrated in memory of 1984 when the Military Technical Institute of the Yugoslav Army was formed after the liberation of the country, in order to equip, develop and modernize the army relying on its own production capacity.
