The President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, attended today at the “Pasuljanske livade” training ground part of the activities of the joint exercise “Manevri 2022”, within which the training of the reserve personnel of the 3rd Army Brigade is being tested. President Vučić, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Miloš Vučević and Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, had the opportunity to see for himself the high level of training of professional members of the Army and reserve personnel in conducting live fire operations using infantry, artillery and armored units, as well as funds from the development program of our specialized industry.
Teleoptik Gyroscopes presented its production program, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić emphasized: “Teleoptik is a strategically important partner for us.”
After touring the training activities and meeting with representatives of the defense industry, President Vučić praised the members of the reserve forces of the Serbian Armed Forces and assessed that they had fulfilled their tasks very well.
– You have seen some of the new weapons and some of what we are putting into use, which is not always easy and simple. We are working specifically on drones and the weaponization of drones. We are in a specific situation now, which is why this meeting was held, because we have to produce everything ourselves. We have nowhere to import anything from, even what we pay for in the West, has a delivery delay of up to two years. They can do that. And what we paid for in the East cannot arrive, because no one will let it pass through. All good friends and brothers… Only Serbia is not allowed to have weapons… So we have to dedicate ourselves to producing enough weapons, equipment, and ammunition. It was a short but not easy meeting, we will continue the meetings, by the New Year we must have a complete inventory of assets in all factories, and before that we will only deal with capital and what is the improvement of our military industry – said President Vučić.
He pointed out the importance of modernization, so that we can move beyond the technology of the 1980s and 1990s.
– We will invest a lot more, but I won’t be wrong if I say that we have changed a lot and our capabilities and possibilities have been significantly improved. Of course, I am never satisfied – said President Vučić.
The President of the Republic today visited several work posts where active and reserve members of the 3rd Brigade of the Armed Forces demonstrated fire training segments and successfully carried out a series of shootings. First, the action of a firing platoon on a wheeled armored combat vehicle “Lazar 3” and MRAP 6X6 was shown, then shooting with a 7.9mm M-76 semi-automatic sniper rifle, a 7.62mm M-84 light machine gun, a 12.7mm M-93 long-range rifle and a 12.7mm machine gun on a remote controlled weapon station (RCWS).
This was followed by a demonstration of firing by a mechanized platoon on an infantry fighting vehicle BVP M-80A with a 20mm anti-aircraft gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, as well as firing by the crew of the BGA 30mm M93 automatic grenade launcher. Then, the firing of the KORNET M anti-tank missile system was shown, as well as the firing of a tank platoon on an M-84 tank. The firing was then carried out by a platoon of the 122mm GVOZDIKA self-propelled howitzer. At the last working point, President Vučić had the opportunity to witness the firing of a platoon of 120 mm M75 mortars using a modern fire control set.
The training activities of the Serbian Armed Forces within the joint exercise “Manevri 2022” will be implemented until November 6 and are aimed at further improving the capabilities of commands and units for planning and conducting operations, as well as testing combat readiness to respond to challenges, risks and threats to the security of the Republic of Serbia. Part of the Serbian Armed Forces reserve is also participating in the exercise, and support is provided by members of the general and logistics services, which ensure uninterrupted communication, aerial surveillance and reporting, atomic-biological-chemical security, transport, nutrition, replenishment with ammunition, health care and the correct operation of military equipment.
Text and photos: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia
