Operations Directorate (J-3)
The Operations Directorate (J-3) is an inner organisational unit of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, executing and controlling the tasks and duties in the operational domain.
- Operations Directorate (J-3)Head of Operations Directorate (J-3), Major General Gordan Pavlović
The Peacekeeping Operations Centre is directly subordinated to the Operations Directorate (J-3).
Major General Gordan Pavlović is Head of the Operations Directorate (J-3).
Duties and tasks of the Operations Directorate (J-3)
Within the Operational Function, the Operations Directorate (J-3) is responsible for performing the following tasks:
- Operational affairs,
- Planning the use of the Serbian Armed Forces and
- Echelonment.
Duties of the Operations Directorate (J-3) in performing the above- mentioned tasks:
- Preparing decisions of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces on the organization and functioning of the command system,
- Planning operations of the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Monitoring, analysis and proposing measures to improve the combat readiness of the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Planning landscaping and preparation of the territory,
- Planning the deployment of the Serbian Armed Forces in peace,
- Planning and regulation of echeloning of material reserves in the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Planning and organizing inspections in the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Planning, organizing and executing security of facilities, movables and personnel in the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Planning and organizing work, order and service in the Serbian Armed Forces,
- Harmonization of rules and regulations of military aircraft flights with domestic and international civil legal norms,
- Cooperation of the Serbian Armed Forces with civil aviation authorities,
- Prevention of emergencies and incidents in the Serbian Armed Forces and
- Cooperation with the International Peacekeeping Forces in Kosovo and Metohija (KFOR).
Tradition of the Operations Directorate (J-3)
The first form of organizing the operating and staff body in the army on the Serbian and Yugoslav territory was established on February 5, 1876, when the Operations Department was formed within the General Staff of the Army of the Principality of Serbia, as its First Department. The department performed the staff function and operational tasks for the needs of the General Staff and for the Ministry of the Army, which was superior to the General Staff.
In the Kingdom of Serbia, there was an Operational Department of the General Staff, which in 1900 changed its name to the Operations Department. In the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1929) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941), an Operational Department was also formed in the General Staff. There was an Operational Section with units in the Supreme Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, and with the formation of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army on March 1, 1945, the Operational Department was re-formed, which in 1947 grew into the First Directorate.
When defining the scope of work and competencies of the First Directorate, it was emphasized that it was the "leading directorate" of the General Staff.
The current Operations Directorate (J-3) of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces continues the tradition of the Operational Department of the General Staff of the Serbian Army of the Principality of Serbia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the First Directorate of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, the Yugoslav People's Army and the Yugoslav Army, and the Operations Directorate (J-3) which indicates that it is one of the directorates with the longest tradition in the General Staff. It received its current name after the organizational changes in 2020.
The functions and tasks of the Operations Directorate have often been changed, supplemented and harmonized with the principles of defense, but the staff function and operational affairs have constantly been in the focus of its work. Due to the importance of the scope of work, the manning of the Directorate has been done with the most experienced and most professional staff.
Throughout history, 65 chiefs have changed in the leading position of the Directorate. In the past, this Directorate was led by some of the most famous and responsible military officers, such as General Staff Colonel Radomir Putnik, General Staff Colonel Petar Bojović, General Staff Lieutenant Colonel Živojin Mišić, Divisional General Živko Pavlović, General Staff Colonel General Ljubomir Marić, General Staff Colonel Danilo Kalifatović, Colonel Rade Hamović and many others.
Contact information
Address: 38 Neznanog junaka St., 11 000 Belgrade
Phone: +381 (0) 11 2063 817
Fax: +381 (0) 11 6005 053
