“We may not fully realise the political significance of being recognised as a NATO nation with major engagement in international missions and operations compared to the size. We are therefore proudly, to the extent possible in the present situation, marking the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Army”, stated Defence Minister Mario Banožić

Members of the Croatian Armed Forces were among the first to engage in the relief of the effects of the devastating earthquake hitting the Sisak – Moslavina County. The successful response takes a clear chain of command as well as soldier trainedness and motivation. What in your view contributes to such response by the Croatian Armed Forces the most?

It is a pre-condition for the timely and effective response indeed.  The enlisted soldiers, NCOs and officers of the Croatian Armed are people with rich experience and very well trained. Many of them have the experience of participating in international operations, and some also have the experience from the Homeland War and operating under demanding extraordinary conditions. The rapid response by the Croatian Armed Forces in the wake of the earthquake in the Sisak – Moslavina County s particular situation was enabled through frequent engagement of members in response to various types of natural disasters, of which I would certainly single out the earthquake that hit Zagreb in March 2020. I would like share my pride over the members of the Croatian Armed Forces as they have displayed exceptional adaptability to new situations and readiness to complete tasks. The clear chain of command and control enabled timely sanitation of the most critical points in the affected area and smooth operation of emergency services.

The statistics support the statement – since the day the earthquake occurred members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been engaged with the repair of roads and landslide sites, the engineering works for the preparation of the container settlements spots in Petrinja and Glina and also with transportation and instalment of containers and mobile homes. They have so far repaired 11.5 km roads, excavated and deposited ca 8,500m3 of material for the grounds for the container settlements in Petrinja and Glina; they have also installed 145 container homes and 52 mobile homes, pitched tents at 10 locations and delivered 27 lorries with the humanitarian aid. Furthermore, Croatian Armed Forces employed Orbiter UAV systems for inspection and mapping of some 200 km 2 of the area of Sisak and Petrinja and conducted soil survey of more than 35 km of embankments in Sisak and Petrinja.

Also, mobile CIMIC teams toured 208 settlements to quickly assess the vital infrastructure condition.

Some 300 members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been engaged within the task forces on a daily basis, and a total of members 2,300 have been assigned in rotations in the field. The first two days the Croatian Armed Forces assigned cca 1,500 members and 129 various motor vehicles, and helicopters of the Croatian Air Force are on stand-by.

The Croatian Air Force provided support on the very first day, engaging four helicopters: two helicopters from Split transported members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and search-and-rescue dogs, and the other two were put on stand-by to transport patients and indeed evacuated the ill patients from the Barracks in Petrinja to Zagreb in the evening.

The Croatian Armed Forces have successfully co-worked with the Croatian Red Cross in the distribution of the humanitarian aid, and also assisted the volunteers with the distribution of humanitarian aid in the depots, surveying the area as well as registering and coordinating the needs of the local population with the Civil Protection Headquarters.

I would like to emphasise that the Croatian Armed Forces have again shown to always stand by the people and be ready to assist the civilian institutions, which is one of the three main roles indeed. 

Many institutions and individuals have constantly commended the contribution of the Croatian Armed Forces and the safety they instil with their presence. 

To answer that question we need to take a look back.

This year we are to mark the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Armed Forces, and we all remember the historic day of the line-up of then Croatian National Guard in the FC “Zagreb” Stadium. We observed the event with great pride.

Since then, through all the battles in the Homeland War, from that proud beginning to the magnificent final victorious operations, the Croatian people displayed high confidence in its armed forces, which in its turn strengthened it with the readiness to fight for freedom.

In the post-war period, through a reliable partnership within international integration, as well as engagement in helping the people in need, during natural disasters, floods, fires and all these strong earthquakes, it constantly confirmed its status as a guarantor of security and survival of the Croatian people.

The people, the institutions with which we co-work extremely well, from the local to the senior level, the education system, the economy, sport, health and other systems are aware of the commitment and efforts of the Croatian Armed Forces within the society and with upgrading the life quality. It is hardly surprising that opinion polls suggest that the Croatian Armed Forces enjoy the highest respect of all state institutions. It is our responsibility to justify the trust.

In crisis situations the Croatian Armed Forces place their assets and capabilities at the service of civilian institutions for the assistance to the crisis-hit population where necessary, such as the container instalment capability and aerial reconnaissance of the effects of the earthquake for the purpose of easier and quicker sanitation. The assets are valuable and costly, the same as other assets procured for the Croatian Armed Forces, which generates comments that the army is a liability for the state. What is your comment?

The army is a symbol of statehood. The people who voice such opinions should reconsider whether they would be able to function and operate in unstable and unsecure environments.  The role of any army is to guarantee safety and sovereignty of the state.  Some people voice the need to invest into economy, science, education and other resources rather than into the army, but investing into security is a primary factor of long-term development of any segment of the society. Secure and stable society is a pre-condition for larger investments, development of science and tourism, which accounts for a large portion of the GDP of the Republic of Croatia. The Ministry of Defence and the Croatian Armed Forces make efforts to rational management of the allocated financial and material and technical assets. The capabilities and assets of the Croatian Armed Forces are of considerable value, but saved human lives are worth so much more.

Members of the Croatian Army provided assistance with fighting the pandemic throughout the country, pitching tents near hospitals or preparing the Arena sports hall for the accommodation of patients.. There has hardly been any situation recently without their engagement. What is your view as Defence Minister look at it?

It is well known that the Croatian Armed Forces have taken an active part in fighting pandemic since the very outbreak, providing support to health care system and in compliance with all prescribed measures to protect against coronavirus. From the beginning of the pandemic in Croatia, from March to the beginning of November 2020, members of the Croatian Army set up 91 tents near health care institutions and other civilian institutions in the Republic of Croatia. 347 members of the General Logistics Support Battalion of the Support Command participated in the activities of building expedition camps and setting up tents.

I deem that the Croatian Armed Forces, as a component of the homeland security system, performs the assigned tasks in a professional manner and that it has demonstrated many times to be ready to assist the population at all times. On assuming the duty I stressed that in my capacity as defence minister I would insist that training and equipment would underpin the role of assistance to the civilian institutions, along with the other two basic missions.

 The assistance to the population is an important mission of the Croatian Armed Forces; however their primary mission is combat training through military exercises at home or abroad. Will under the circumstances the range of military exercises be reduced, and how can combat readiness be maintained at the required level?

 The Croatian Armed Forces have constantly maintained combat readiness. While due to the circumstances the number of exercise-related activities in 2020 has been reduced, but the level necessary for efficient functioning of the system has been maintained. The aggravated circumstances caused by the pandemic, and the required compliance with the protective measures present an extra challenge to our members. However, as I mentioned, the Croatian Armed Forces have displayed exceptional adaptability, so in 2021 we are going to try to increase the intensity of training and exercises. A total of some 60 exercises have been planned for the current year, and a set of target exercises to mark the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Armed Forces.

How far have we come with the selection of fighter aircraft and what would it take to postpone it?   

After the receipt of the bids from four countries (USA, Sweden, France and Israel), the Inter-department Board for the Procurement of a Multi-role Fighter Aircraft on 12 December officially completed the evaluation of bids and forwarded a Feasibility Study to the Prime Minister. The Defence Committee of the Croatian Parliament will be familiarised with the content of the Study early this year and the Government will make the final decision on the chosen aircraft. It will be followed by months-long inter-governmental drafting with the government of the chosen bidder, so that the respective contract can be signed by the end of 2021 at the latest.

In accordance with the overall concept of force protection and development of the homeland security system, the introduction of multi-purpose fighter aircraft into operational service is a necessary segment of equipment and modernisation of the Croatian Armed Forces, in terms of the demands and the commitment of the Republic of Croatia for autonomous protection of the national  airspace, security, international positioning and assumed commitments, but primarily as an instrument of defence and deterrence.

We are fully aware of the hard economic situation both in Croatia and worldwide caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, aggravated by the earthquakes in Zagreb and in the Sisak – Moslavina County. However, I am convinced that we shall find an optimal solution.

As the life cycle of the present aircraft (MiGs) nearing the end,  the considered procurement is our last chance to preserve the combat component of the Croatian Air Force and control of the sovereignty of over the Croatian sky, which is defined in the Constitution. The MiG resources will expire in late 2024, which would entail losing of a combat capability, which I don’t approve. Bearing in mind our history and the poor equipment and weapons we had at disposal to win independence for our country, I believe that the multi-purpose fighter aircraft are indispensable for the integrity of the Croatian Armed Forces and for the safety of Croatian citizens.

 What important equipment and modernisation projects should be realised in 2021?

Our priority is to continue strengthening the Croatian Armed Forces. Well-trained, motivated and educated and patriotic members are the greatest resource and foundation for further development. We shall focus on investing into the human resources – into enlisted soldiers, NCOs and officers.

In addition to the procurement of a multi-purpose fighter aircraft, the decision and signing of contracts for the current year, the most important projects of equipment and modernisation include the fitting of nine Patria AMVs with DUOS UT30MK2s and the modification of DUOS with 40-mm ABGs, the procurement of the ZLIN aircraft for the Croatian Air Force.  

The upcoming projects also include preparation of infrastructure and training of pilots and technicians for the introduction of the Black Hawk into service, which is planned for 2022, and equipment of the Croatian Army with the VHS-D2 assault rifle.

We shall also continue the projects of equipment with inshore patrol vessels, and we also plan to modernise and equip the three services of the Croatian Armed Forces, to upgrade the training level and preserve the present benefits enjoyed by Croatian soldiers. 

We shall soon conclude the Long-term Development Plan of the Croatian Armed Forces, which will present a 10-year plan of equipment and the associated funding sources and outline the projects within the decade that the Croatian Government and the Parliament will adopt through the document. 

Croatian Armed Forces engaged with earthquake effects relief since the first day

Since the day the earthquake occurred members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been engaged with the repair of roads and landslide sites, the engineering works for the preparation of the container settlements spots in Petrinja and Glina and also with transportation and instalment of containers and mobile homes. They have so far repaired 11.5 km roads, excavated and deposited ca 8,500m³ of material for the grounds for the container settlements in Petrinja and Glina; they have also installed 145 container homes and 52 mobile homes, pitched tents at 10 locations and delivered 27 lorries with the humanitarian aid. Furthermore, Croatian Armed Forces employed Orbiter UAV systems for inspection and mapping of some 200 km ² of the area of ​​Sisak and Petrinja and conducted soil survey of more than 35 km of embankments in Sisak and Petrinja.

This year we are marking the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Armed Forces. Does their role in the society reflect the support they have provided?

As I said earlier, trainedness, motivation and readiness of the Croatian Armed Forces have earned them high reputation and trust from the citizens and also within NATO as a reliable partner We may not even be aware of how politically important it is for the Republic of Croatia to be recognized as one of the members that, given its population, has one of the largest engagements in international missions and operations. Therefore, we will proudly, together with our people this year, as far as the circumstances allow, celebrate the jubilee 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Army. We may not fully realise the political significance of being recognised as a NATO nation with major engagement in international missions and operations compared to the size. We shall proudly, to the extent possible in the present situation, mark the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Army with our people. 

Croatian version:

Naš je prioritet nastavak jačanja Hrvatske vojske