AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø Poštovani …… (dopuniti)

Ø It is my great honour to greet all of you, participants of the AMI conference.

Ø I would like to thank Matthieu Borsboom for inviting me on behalf of AMI, and thank you dear bishop Bogdan for being our host.

Ø I gladly received your invitation because I respect and put great value on the Catholic Church, its values, teaching and tradition.

Ø Freedom, as the fundamental human right, through centuries has so many times in different ways been threatened, disputed and taken away.

Ø Freedom is not an ideal - it is a fundamental human need enabling the person to grow, develop and create. Therefore, it is no surprise that throughout the history people fought, suffered, and died for freedom.

Ø 27 years ago the citizens of witnessed such a fight for freedom and the right for determination in the Homeland War imposed on us by Greater-Serbian aggression.

Ø Almost 500.000 citizens of a country of 4.5 million defended the country against one of the largest armies in Europe at that time – the Jugoslav People's Army. It was a fight between David and Goliath.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø Besides courage, boldness, innovation and unity Croatia's fight for independence was marked by another detail – every Croatian soldier, hero, had a very powerful weapon – the Holy Rosary.

Ø Faith in God, a legitimate aim and defence of the Homeland were the decisive factors when all the parameters according to the military doctrine were on the side of the adversary.

Ø This is most clearly seen in the defence of the city of Vukovar.

Ø Numerous victims in the defence of Vukovar and Škabrnja in 1991 testify that our freedom was gained in agony.

Ø But even when defeated by a much larger force, the Croatian warrior remained dignified in his loss, drawing his strength from the belief that his fight for freedom is sublime.

Ø At the end of the 20th century, in the heart of Europe, more than 15.000 people have died, one third of a country was occupied, cities destroyed, immeasurable damage done.

Ø In , the same conflict took more than 100.000 lives and left deep traces, the consequences of which are still felt today.

Ø , established by decisiveness and courage, very quickly grew into a respectable military force which implemented the modern doctrine of use of force.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø Let me mention just some of the liberation operations conducted by the Croatian Army to free the occupied territory.

Ø Military-police operation "Freeing the South of Croatia" was comprised of several actions which started in spring 1992 and lasted until October the same year. It resulted in unblocking of and freeing the southern part of Croatia.

Ø Operation “” in March 1993 was a turning point of the Homeland war.

Ø This operation showed that the Croatian Army was organized and equipped well enough to conduct complex military operations and win.

Ø The political factor was also important. We showed that we could solve the problem of occupied territory by ourselves, and our political leadership was given a strong leverage to strengthen its political position.

Ø Operation “Maslenica” strengthened the defenders' and people's faith in the victorious Croatian Army.

Ø Operation “Flash” was a police-military undertaking of the Croatian Army and Special Police forces in May 1995 which - in a flash - liberated the occupied area of Western Slavonia.

Ø Faced with defeat, Serbian separatists decided on a terrorist reprisal and ordered rocket attacks on the city of Zagreb and shelling of

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Karlovac and Sisak on 2nd and 3rd May. The centre of Zagreb was heavily shelled - 7 civilians died and more than 200 were injured.

Ø The crown of all victories in Homeland war was the military-police operation “Storm“ which liberated 10.400 square kilometres or 18.4% of the overall territory of the Republic of Croatia.

Ø In all operations during the Homeland war moral principles of warfare were taken into account.

Ø The words of the Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis describe our final operations the best.

Ø He says it is an example studied at US military schools, showing how a well-equipped, well led and trained Army, with good political guidance can change the course of history.

Ø Operation “Storm” was conducted by the rules of war and is an example for the history.

Ø The great suffering and the sacrifice made for free and independent Croatia are a lasting pledge given to future generations of the Croatian people, and an example to all - how high the price of freedom is.

Ø If we did not succeed - with great efforts of the whole Croatian society - I would not be here with you today.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø With the end of the Homeland war and our victory, the threat to the territorial integrity of Croatia and the survival of Croatian people was fully neutralized.

Ø Without the threat, new circumstances were formed asking for transformation of the Croatian Armed Force from war-time into peace- time forces.

Ø Due to the situation in the world and our natural affiliation with the western world, our strategic aim was to join NATO and the EU.

Ø The precondition was to fulfil a number of criteria and reach capability targets prescribed by NATO.

Ø A lot of work has been done and in 2009 we became a full-fledged member of the Alliance.

Ø Since the Croatian Army had fresh combat experience, our soldiers very quickly became recognized within the Alliance as very professional and capable.

Ø In only 12 years Croatia transitioned from „peace consumer“ to „peace provider“.

Ø This year we have marked 15 years of participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which is just one of the international peace missions and operations we participate in, around the world.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø The Croatian soldier also participates in other NATO peace support activities; like the „Enhanced Forward Presence“ in Lithuania and Poland, in KFOR mission in Kosovo, and for the first time we had a ship in the operation Sea Guardian this year.

Ø As member of the we participate in missions world- wide: from India and Pakistan to Western Sahara, and from recently we have an engineering company deployed in UNIFIL .

Ø According to the ratio of deployed troops to overall size of the Armed Forces, Croatia is standing out among NATO members.

Ø Our contribution within NATO was very nicely described by Secretary Mattis, saying that Croatia is a small country that fights above its category.

Ø Within the Alliance we are recognized as a reliable partner and ally.

Ø Although the principle of collective defence is at the very heart of NATO’s founding treaty, this does not exclude building national capabilities. On the contrary!

Ø Maintaining and developing combat capability is primary and necessary for keeping the Armed Forces a credible deterrent and a strong and reliable ally.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø Our duty is to produce security by training and investing in the Croatian Army, at the same time implementing new capabilities thus building preconditions to eliminate potential risks and threats.

Ø There is this thought among the uninformed that by joining the Euro Atlantic integrations we have solved our security problems for good and that we should invest less into our professional Army. This is imprudent.

Ø Today we are developing all services equally.

Ø Acquiring and reaching full operational capability of the Panzer Howitzers and equipping the armoured combat vehicle Patria with a gun and anti-armour guided missile system we are increasing the mobility and fire power of our Army.

Ø The Decision of the Government to acquire the multi-purpose fighter F-16 from the State of Israel we are keeping the combat capability of the Air Force.

Ø Establishing the Navy infantry we are developing the capabilities of the Croatian Navy.

Ø But a strong Army is not only built on equipment and armament, it is built on people, because people are the basis of the defence system.

Ø We invest in the education of our soldiers, NCO's and officers, we are improving the working conditions and standards for our soldiers, we

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

conduct intense training activities and exercises, all to motivate our soldiers and make them more ready to perform their tasks.

Ø The basic tasks of the Croatian Army, besides contribution to international security are:

1. Protection of territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia, defence of the Republic of Croatia and its alies,

2. Support to civilian institutions.

Ø As you probably know, just these days we have conducted the most complex military exercise since Homeland war “Velebit 18 – Joint Force“.

Ø In this exercise the stress was on the basic tasks of the Armed Force and we have shown high level of readiness for independent action and execution of basic tasks.

Ø Furthermore, when we talk about maintaining national capabilities and implementing new ones, it is important to stress that the changed security paradigm has set totally new requirements for all modern Armies.

Ø Contemporary risks and complex threats require comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach in solving potential crisis.

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

Ø Therefore, based on the new National Security Strategy adopted in 2017 we have established a Homeland Security System where the Army is a kind of integrator.

Ø We want to build the perception and promote the Army as an important factor in „partnership for security“. An Army seen helping its people will be more likable than an Army closed in barracks.

Ø In peacetime, helping the civilian institutions is probably the most important task of the Croatian Army.

Ø We witnessed this last year and this year, when Croatia was faced with forest fires, snow storms and floods.

Ø Together with the other components of the Homeland Security System, the Croatian Army has protected its people and prevented significant material damage.

Ø In the current world, national security is a process that requires a wide range of engagement and real synergy in the society.

Ø We have to fight the habitual ways of thinking and stay one step ahead of those who want to harm us, but still aware of the fact that they will try to find ways to do us harm.

Ø It is important to mention that every individual is important in keeping the level of security but equally important is unity. Therefore

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AMI – MEDENA, TROGIR 18.10.2018. Prezentacija

it is our responsibility - of the defence system - to promote security culture which will encompass all aforementioned elements.

Ø Unity built on healthy foundations combined with high morality is the basis for solving problems.

Ø That is why I support your initiative to promote Christian catholic values – which are strongly built into Croatian identity.

Ø Thank you.

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