TSAMTO, February 15. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited the Vrh Koplja 2021 exercise on February 7, according to the results of which he said that the Serbian authorities intend to allocate additional funds for the development of the country's Armed Forces.
According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the exercises were conducted at the Rastko Nemanich base in Panchevo with the involvement of the 72nd Special Operations Brigade. According to A. Vucic, the brigade is armed with 10 multi-purpose armored vehicles BOV M16 "Milos" with a 4x4 wheel formula and five armed ground DUMAS "Mali Milos". As planned, by the end of the year, another 20 M16 BBMs will be delivered to the group.
In addition, on February 6, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told the Serbian newspaper Politika that in the second quarter of this year, Serbia will receive four more upgraded MiG-29 fighters donated by Belarus, bringing their total number to 14 units. The Minister noted that the remaining 10 aircraft are undergoing modernization in the country. Work on the MiG-29 should be completed by June. In 2021, 19 more T-72B1MS main battle tanks and 20 upgraded BRDM-2M armored reconnaissance vehicles will be delivered, bringing their number to 30 units.
This year, Serbia will also receive French-made Mistral-3 man-portable air defense systems, and by the end of the year, the number of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers NORA-B52 M15 of national production in service with the Serbian Armed Forces will be increased from six to 18 units.
Vucic announced Serbia's plans to increase funding for the Armed Forces on the same day that local media reported receiving a letter from US President Joe Biden calling on Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence. According to Vucic, Serbia still does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Serbian officials view the modernization of the armed Forces not only in the context of ensuring the security of Serbia itself, but also of the Serbs living in the region, especially the Serbian minorities in Kosovo and Montenegro. The strengthening of the Armed Forces is accompanied by diplomatic efforts aimed at strengthening relations with the United States, Russia, China, the EU and NATO, as well as balancing between these countries and organizations.
