Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colonel General Senad Mašović at a traditional press conference organized to mark December 1 – AFBiH Day, said that during these 16 years Armed Forces of BiH have grown into a respectable military strength, specific but very recognizable.
“As the only, legal, legitimate and professional military force of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the past 16 years, professional and responsible execution of statutory missions and tasks, both in the country and abroad, the AFBiH has gained great trust of domestic government institutions and significant reputation in the international community. Although they have been faced with various challenges and difficulties during all these 16 years, in 2021 the AFBiH managed to achieve a significant number of achievements, progress, as well as very valuable successes,” said Mašović.
He stated that this year, the AFBiH realized the exercise of NATO assessment of the battalion group of light infantry.
“The exercise was realized under the supervision and evaluation of members of NATO mobile teams. The battalion group of light infantry showed a high degree of professionalism, but also a high level of training and interoperability, which is crucial in achieving full membership in NATO,” said General Mašović.
In the presence of the Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Sifet Podzic and a limited number of guests, in compliance with the determined measures for protection against the COVID-19 epidemic, the 8th class of officers of the Armed Forces (AF) of BiH was promoted yesterday at the Center for Professional Development (CPR), Travnik.
At the solemn ceremony, 17 male candidates and 2 female candidates in the initial rank of lieutenant were admitted to the AFBiH.
The most successful participant in the 8th class of Basic Officer Training was Lieutenant Sanela Pasalic, who addressed the class on this occasion and stated that the time they spent on training at the Center for Professional Development was demanding but also very significant, and that they managed to build a team, because, as she stated “the strength is in the team“.
Minister of Defense of BiH, Sifet Podzic congratulated the young officers on their promotion to the rank of lieutenant and noted in his address that at the beginning of his military career, and nowadays, it is very important to respect all legal regulations in BiH, especially the Law on Defense of BiH and the Law on Service in the AFBiH.
Podzic emphasized that, in accordance with the legal framework, the AFBiH is the only legal, legitimate, and professional force in BiH.
At the end of his address, Minister Podzic expressed regret that the epidemiological situation did not allow the presence of a larger number of guests in order to make this ceremony even greater.
The purpose of Basic Officer Training is to conducttraining aimed at developing operational, tactical, and combat competencies of lieutenant officers with a focus on military leadership, physical instruction with exercise and fitness training, tactics, planning and performing tactical operations, situational training exercise (STX)drills, topography and navigation, as well as administration and general topics.
”By promoting 19 young officers, the AFBiH have shown their ability to successfully implement the Basic Officer Training in their organization and thus continue to revitalize their group, ” the Public Relations Office of the BiH Ministry of Defense announced.
