Exercise “Blue Response 2014”

Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and General Ljubisa Dikovic, Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia, attended today the finishing part of the tactical exercise with live firing by the Riverine Flotilla and coordinated forces, titled “Blue Response 2014” in Titel.

The tactic exercise with live firing carried the theme of “Fire Support of Army Forces during and in the taking over of inland waterways and forming a landing and ferry crossing point”.

On that occasion, Minister Gasic stated that a high level of operational functional capability of the Armed Forces of Serbia has been displayed.

– We have seen a great part of our Army’s capabilities, and I confute anyone who says the Armed Forces of Serbia are not materially and technically equipped. It gives me great pleasure that members of our Army display such a high level of training, and this exercise has been one of the indicators that we do invest in weapons and equipment of the Armed Forces of Serbia. I congratulate them on such perfect execution of the exercise. I owe great gratitude to the Commander of the Riverine Flotilla Colonel Andrija Andric, who has, in the past two weeks, invested himself and the human resources in order for the Riverine Flotilla and the Armed Forces of Serbia to look as good as they do. We are moving forward in modernizing both the Riverine Flotilla and the Air Force – Defence Minister said.

The exercise showed Air Force fire support of the sea landed troops, artillery support of the sea landed troops, deceptive landed troops, fire preparation of the sea landed troops, and combat search and three waves of the sea landed troops.

Commander of the Riverine Flotilla said that the units of the Armed Forces of Serbia are prepared in any given moment for conducting their mission.

– Last few weeks, we were in Obrenovac, Sabac and all other places where it was needed. Today, we realized assignments from the first mission of the Armed Forces of Serbia, and that is defence from arm endangerment. The goal of the sea landed troops has been fulfilled completely, all the resources have shown their technical functionality and the commanders have shown their knowledge in tactics – Colonel Andric said.

The exercise deployed the Command with the Command and Logistics Company, two River Detachments and two Pontoon Battalions of the Riverine Flotilla, part of the Command and the Infantry Company from the First Army Brigade, a team of river raiding forces from the Special Brigade and two pairs of fighter-bombing aircrafts G-4 “Seagull” from the formation of the 204th Air Force Brigade of the Air Defence.

Around 500 members of the mentioned formations participated, along with 14 different types of ships, river mine-hunters, river patrol and amphibious assault boats, four planes, amphibian transporters, ferries, towboats and a number of transportation and cross-country vehicles.

Minister Gasic and General Dikovic also visited participants of the exercise and the crew of the special purpose ship “Kozara” and congratulated them on the remarkably executed, demanding, complex and in many ways unique exercise, and for the dedication, professionalism and skillfulness they showed.

In the second part of the day, Air Force combat on open-deck ships, preventing the breakthrough of the enemy river forces, support to the units of the 1st Land Force Brigade during attack, and the exploitation of artillery rocket combat and preventing the enemy river forces from retreating. After the second part of the exercise, a defile of vessel formations was held on the Tisa River, which marked the ending of the tactical exercise “Blue Response 2014”.