Promotion of the Youngest Non-Commissioned Officers of the Serbian Armed Forces

Today, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Milan Mojsilović, together with members of their extended boards, attended a ceremony at the Memorial Complex Second Serbian Uprising in Takovo to mark the end of education of the 14th Class of Basic NCO Course and the 46th Class of Military High Vocational School, and their promotion to the first non-commissioned rank.

Congratulating the youngest non-commissioned officers of the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said that the state was as strong as its armed forces.

— The state is as free as it is capable of defending its freedom. Today, we have shown that these armed forces and the armed forces before 2012 are not the same. These are the armed forces of men who enjoy the confidence of their country, these are the armed forces whose Supreme Commander Aleksandar Vučić does everything for the armed forces to be materially secured, equipped and stronger. These are the armed forces which are proud of themselves and their past, and which are confident in their future. These are the armed forces which can say that it confronted the aggression of NATO Alliance, the armed forces which can say that it is the military of the entire people wherever the Serbian people live - the minister of defence stressed and added that starting from that day we were richer for the youngest non-commissioned officers, and that Serbia was richer for men who had decided to dedicate their lives to it and serve the peace.

 

— Today, the Serbian Armed Forces are richer for a line of non-commissioned officers, but Serbia is most of all richer for a sense of security, stability and peace, and as long as it has such armed forces, Serbia is going to be peaceful, secure and stable - Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin sent a message.

 President of municipality Gornji Milanovac Dejan Kovačević underlined that it was a great day for that local community and for Takovo, and for the future of Serbia as well.

 

— Starting from today, the promotions of non-commissioned officers of the Serbian Armed Forces will take place here, in Miloš’s Takovo, where the rebels started the liberation of Serbia more than two centuries ago. I wish to thank President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin for having responded to my requests and we jointly decided to hold promotions of the non-commissioned officers here in Takovo - said President of municipality Gornji Milanovac.

 

It is a great honour to become a non-commissioned officer here in Takovo, where the Second Serbian Uprising started and wherefrom the modern Serbian state originates - said the first ranking of the 14th Class of Basic NCO Course, Sergeant Aleksandar Ostojić.

 

— Today’s ceremony was preceded by a long and arduous, but at the same time interesting period of advancement. Over the previous six months at the Basic NCO Course, and the Leader’s Course before it, held in the NCO Training and Advancement Centre, together, we underwent a complex training process so that today, 120 of us could proudly stand in front of you, aware of how great an honour it is to be a non-commissioned officer of the Serbian Armed Forces - said the best sergeant of the 14th Class and stated on behalf of his colleagues that they were ready and resolved to dedicate their lives to service to their people and their state, wishing to justify the given confidence.  The best student of the 46th Class of Military High Vocational School, the newly promoted Sergeant of the Serbian Armed Forces Nikola Nikolić, sent a message on behalf of his colleagues that they had learnt during their education what a real non-commissioned officer should look like.

 

— I claim that we will justify the trust given to us and that we will honourably and honestly serve the fatherland - Nikolić said and thanked the professors who, as he stressed, provided supreme competence and expertise.

 

The minister of defence and Chief of General Staff presented wrist watches to the best student of the 46th Class of the Military High Vocational School and the three best ranking of the 14th Class of Basic NCO Course.

 

The celebration, which ended in march past of the units and attractive flybys of “Eagles” and “Gama” helicopters of AF and AD of Serbian Armed Forces, was attended by units’ commanders and main NCOs of brigades and training centres of the Serbian Armed Forces, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, local self-government, relatives and friends of the youngest sergeants.