The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević, and the Chief of te General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko Šundov with the Deputy President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Tomislav Radoš, on 2 February 2018 signed 35 contracts with 26 Croatian firms for the provision of military equipment (worth 281 mil HRK –  45 mil HRK more compared to 2017). The Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković congratulated the Ministry of Defence and Minister Krstičević and the representatives of the Croatian industry on the contracts signed as “ an important moment for Croatia, its Ministry of Defence and the Croatian Armed Forces, promoting its economy and defence industry“. The partnership with the Croatian economy is an excellent way of connecting the national and the private sector’s interests. It is most evident in the members of the Croatian Armed Forces equipped entirely with the top-quality Croatia-made equipment during their service in the international missions and operations“, said the Prime Minister, who also reminded of the large conference on the Croatian defence industry, which highlighted it as a Croatian economy brand. The Croatian Government and Ministry of Defence will support the synergy of the developers and of promoters, with the aim of strengthening the Croatian economy and the exports. The Prime Minister also praised the realisation of the main defence and security objectives, particularly the increased defence budget, the adopted National Security Strategy, the Act on the Homeland Defence System, the co-ordinated engagement of various agents in the domain of defence, and the role of the Croatian Armed Forces in the defence against natural disasters. Minister Krstičević praised the Prime Minister’s and the Government’s support to the improvement of the defence system and the increased defence budget (445 mil) compared to 2017, the year in which the decrease of the budget was halted. Minister Krstičević stressed that 2018 will be a year of record figures “We are signing contracts with the domestic firms, worth ca  280 mil HRK today; in two months time we will have new contracts, worth additional 200 mil HRK, which proves the Ministry of Defence’s concern with the development of the Croatian industry; The Ministry of Defence will always be a partner recognising and fostering the excellence in Croatia“. The Minister also said that the contracts are signed early in the year, to enable the firms to plan and run their business efficiently, and that the co-operation with the Ministry  provided the Croatian military industry with the business references and recognisability necessary in the international market. The representative of the Joint tenderers (also the director of KROKO Proizvodnja i razvoj d.o.o. military gear manufacturer) Žarko Popović, signing the contract for the provision of combat unifors and the Representative of the Footwear Manufacturer Association and Chief Executive of “BOROVO d.d“ (the leading firm of the Association) Gordana Odor and the representatives of the firms – Željko Pavlin of the HS Produkt d.o.o, Alojz  Šestan of “Šestan-Busch d.o.o., Zoran Koščec of Varteks Pro d.o.o. and Darko Grbec of Đuro Đaković Specijalna vozila d.d. extended appreciation to the Ministry of Defence and Minister Krstičević for the trust invested and the years-long co-operation with the Croatian firms. “The contracts affirm the Ministry’s credibility and the policy to equip the Croatian Armed Forces members with the domestic-made products, which is of great importance for the Croatian manufacturers’ exporting deals.  We welcome the future co-operation as well, and the technological upgrade of the products“. The contracts have been concluded for the provision of the combat, field and protective gear, the maintenance of air assets, the M 84 tank upgrade, messing, cleaning services, transportation and insurance of the active duty personnel. The agreed procurements include 52,951 combat uniform sets  7,830 waterproof gears,  94,110 pairs of socks,  3,259 pullovers and 177 firefighter gears, 17,283 pairs of footwear (7,436 pairs of combat boots), 151,515 underwear items, 12,845 service and mess uniforms, 1,273 headwear items,  170 bags, 1,000  helmets, 200 VHS-D2 and 80 VHS-K2 assault rifles and 25 XDM-9 4.5 pistols. Prime Minister Plenković, Minister Krstičević and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces with their staffs and the representatives of the Croatian firms toured the static display of the weapons and equipment in the Ministry of Defence’s premises. Prime Minister and Defence Minister previously had visited the mess hall in “Croatia“ that was refurbished in 2017, and praised the new facility, meeting NATO standards and upgrading the living and working conditions for the military personnel working in the Barracks. They also paid respects at the Memorial Monument to the 1st Guards Brigade  of the Croatian Army (“Tigrovi“) in the barracks.