NATO, AT THE “JUG” BASE, GAVE EXCELLENT MARKS TO SERBIAN ARMY ENGINEERS, WHO ARE READY FOR PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

31. October 2019.

Bujanovac – A specialized company of the Army of Serbia got excellent assessments from NATO experts at the Jug army base near Bujanovac, whose standards are applied in European Union and United Nations operations, by which their ability to detect improvised explosive devices was confirmed.

Serbian Army engineers, whose primary task is to build roads, bridges and military camps, are ready to joint one of the multinational operations abroad.

It is a company of the 310th Engineer Battalion, and their training has recently been evaluated by NATO military experts at the "Jug" training grounds near Bujanovac.

Among them was Lt. Col. Holger Bernard of the NATO Land Command in Izmir, an officer in the German army.

“I am pleased to say that the engineering company has received excellent grades. This unit is ready for the most demanding tasks that can be assigned to it in the future. As the European Union and United Nations international peacekeeping missions use NATO standards in their operations around the world, the engineering company is now ready to join such missions at any moment and to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and stability, ”said Lt. Col. Bernard.

He explains that the evaluation was conducted through the "Operational Capabilities Concept - Evaluation and Reporting", which is a NATO mechanism.

“We are impressed by the hard work and dedication of the Serbian military personnel. As we expected, the Engineering Company became the fourth unit of the Serbian Armed Forces to be fully capable of participating in international peacekeeping missions, ” Lt. Col. Bernard said.

Serbian Army engineers also showed NATO experts how they could effectively repair a road or bridge a smaller river, and assured them that they were capable of working with similar units of other armies that had already undergone the assessment.

They are also capable of detecting improvised explosive devices, which is one of the biggest risks in modern multinational operations.

It is up to Serbia to decide which part of the world the Serbian engineers could be sent to.

Source: Bujanovac News and Coordination Body