Minister and Chief of GS visit Croatian Contingent in Poland

The Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko Šundov on 28 December 2017 met with the members of the 1st HRVVON to NATO’s eFP in the Republic of Poland, in a first visit to their base in the “Benowo Piskie“ Training Area, since its deployment in October.

The U.S..- led Battlegroup Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Scott Cheney briefed the Croatian Minister and the Chief of the General Staff on the Battlegroup’s activities in Poland and commended the professional performance of the Croatian members.

The Commander of the 15th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the Polish Armed Forces, Brigadier General Jaroslaw Gromadzinski expressed high esteem for the engagement of Croatia and its soldiers within NATO’s eFP mission in Poland.

Minister Krstičević expressed satisfaction over the visit to the Croatian Contingent during the holiday season and said he saw them as a real team. “I appreciate everything you are doing for Croatia and how professionally and proudly you represent Croatia in Europe. The participation in the eFP is mission is of importance for the Croatian Armed Forces in terms of the joint training with the with partners and allies, the interoperability objective and the exchange of experience.”

The Minister stressed that Croatia engagement proved Croatia’s credibility as a NATO member and stated that the Croatian Armed Forces had enormous experience and knowledge to offer with other participating nations, and that joint training was of benefit for the development of their capabilities. He also reminded that the Croatian soldiers were entirely equipped with the Croatia-made products. “The image you create in Poland is very important, so I appreciate your excellent promotion of the Croatian Armed Forces in Europe“, stated the Minister, and also praised the accomodation provided for the Croatian soliders.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko Šundov also commended the living and working conditions for the members of the Croatian Contingent and stated that the deployment in the battlegroup to eFP was an excellent opportunity for them to gather new experience for you, as successors of the artillery units from the Homeland War. You also merit congratulations for your success at football pitch and for high-level readiness.

The Commander of the 1st HRVCON, Major Ivan Užarević stressed that the Contingent fulfilled all the assigned tasks and also commended the co-operation with the colleagues from other NATO nations.

The 1HRVCON presently comprises 71 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, equipped with a MLR “Vulkan” Battery; the Contingent members have performed two successful firings since the arrival in October, demonstrating high-level trainedness and professionalism.

They also took part in and won a footsal competition with other deployed nations’ teams and in a charity campaign called “Toy Drive”, collecting toys and stationery for the hospitalised children, the children in orphanages, kindergartens and schools in six towns in Poland before Christmas.

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