Croatian Army Day and CAF 25th anniversary commemorated

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Croatia as the Supreme Commander of the Croatian Armed Forces Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Željko Reiner, the Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko, Deputy Prime Minister Božo Petrov, the Defence Minister Josip Buljević, the Chief of the General Staff, General Mirko Šundov, senior officials and numerous attending citizens.
The ceremony was kicked off by the video-streamed firing of 25 artillery volleys from the Jarun recreational area and the flypast of three MiGs-21 of the Croatian Air Force over the stadium in honour to all Croatian defenders and victims of the Homeland War.
Upon the formal approval by the President of the Republic of Croatia, the 16 ceremonial columns were lined-up in the stadium. The President underlined that the time of the birth of the independent and internationally recognised Republic of Croatia, its defence and liberation was the historic time of its history, and that many ceremony attenders had the honour and privilege to take part and witness to it. The Croatian Armed Forces have within a short time span grown into a well-organised and trained military force. Croatia is an internationally respected member of the EU and NATO and its soldiers in all international missions enjoy high respect both for their military skills and human qualities. The Croatian Armed Forces are a highly trusted institution, and I pledge to do my best to ensure that confidence and reputation remain and continue to grow“, said the President in her address.
The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Željko Reiner emphasised the importance of the review of the Croatian National Guard in Kranjčevićeva 25 years ago.  “The historic review of the Croatian National Guard before some 15,000 people was critical as it gave the Croatian people the much needed  hope in the defence against the threats coming from  a far stronger aggressor; it proved them that they had a military force, dressed in the first Croatian military uniforms. The live broadcast of the review had an encouraging  and motivating effect on the Croatian people, and 28 May was proclaimed the Coatian Army Day and the Croatian Armed Forces Day.
The Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković reminded that the Croatian military was composed of  Croatians from the homeland and those living abroad who fought side by side and joined their efforts towards victory in the war for freedom and independence. “The Croatian military is a victorious military, and the Croatian people is a victorious people. Having won the war we continued building our armed forces, and today we are an important NATO member and the youngest EU member. From a country that sought assistanc in the 1990ies we have become an active participant of the efforts toward the global security“, said the Prime Minister.
The Croatian Defence Minister Josip Buljević called 28 May a historic day, giving a reason for pride and the grounds for hope. “I am congratulating you on the Croatian Armed Forces Day and the Croatian Army Day. It was on this very place 25 years ago that the first Croatian President Franjo Tuđman handed the wartime flags to the units of the Croatian National Guard, in what was a fateful moment of our young state. We have to commemorate with gratitude all our defender friends who sacrified their lives for the freedom and who enabled the establishment of an army that for the first time in history of Croatia waged the battles for a sovereign and free state, led by President Tuđman. We established or military force in war, developed in n peacetime and re-organised in the accordance with the new demands. The members of the victorious Croatian Army enjoy high international respect and recognition as credible allies”, concluded the Minister.
The Chief of General Staff General Assembly Mirko Šundov extended his congratulations on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Armed Forces.
“The birth of sovereign and independent Republic of Croatia was marked by the aggression and the struggle of the Croatian people for the survival. A trusting and struggling people cannot be defeated. The establishment of the first units within the Croatian National Guard evinced the valour, the resolve and successful organisation of defence forces, which enabled the defence and thwarted the advance of the aggressor throughout the battlefields. In the period to follow the Croatian forces were ever better organised, trained and equipped and successfully conducted a series of liberating operations. Following the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian Region the Croatian Armed Forces were re-organised into a smaller yet efficient professional organisation that has successfully integrated in NATO and the EU”, said General Šundov. The ceremony marking the Day of the Armed Forces and the Day of the Army continued in the Jarun recreational area. Some of the impressive capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior were displayed to the top state officials and a large audience, who observed parachute jumps from the Mi-171Sh helicopters by the members of the special forces, one of whom (1st Sgt Zlatko Vicencinović) jumped in front of the VIP stand and handed the national flag to the Croatian President.
The programme also featured the display of the capabilities of combat divers – the members of the 2nd Special Forces Group. The Special Forces Command displayed some of the techniques and procedures of close combat (e.g. the infiltration into a room and transition towards the secondary weapons, the display of responses to sudden attacks, the improvised-device defence and combating unarmed against one or more attackers.
The members of the Special Police of the Ministry of the Interior demonstrated the attacks against a protected convoy and the response by the protection team assigned with attack repel and operating in the situations of the kind.
The 9-min sequence by the ”Wings of Storm” Aerobatic Display Team of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence were strongly acclaimed and received ovations, performing its internationally famous manoeuvres on their PC-9M aircraft: the loop, right turn, barrel roll, right sloped loop, vertical roll and spin, rolls, triple mirror and final brake.
The ceremonial programme comprised the static display of the weapons and equipment (combat and non-combat assets) and a demonstration of the capabilities and skills of the members of the Croatian Armed Forces and of the Ministry of the Interior. The Military Museum displayed its exhibits and the programmes “Cadet“ and the military study programmes of the Croatian Defence Academy, as well as the periodicals and promotional material of the Croatian Military Publications Department were presented. The ceremony was concluded by the concert of the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra and of the Croatian Navy Vocal Ensemble “Sv. Juraj“.