Nordic Battle Group Commander visits MOD
State Secretary of Ministry of Defence Pjer Simunovic, received on Wednesday, 2 March 2011, in an official visit the Nordic Battle Group Commander, Brigadier General Stefan Andersson of the Swedish Armed Forces. General Anderson resides in the Republic of Croatia regarding the control of condition and readiness of forces that contribute to the Nordic Battle Group, in which Croatia participated with two helicopters and 20 members of the Armed Forces.
During the meeting, general Andersson said he was pleased with Croatian contribution, adding that by engagement in the Nordic battle group Croatia provides critical helicopter capabilities. The professionalism and dedication of Croatian members who have been engaged in the Nordic battle group was emphasized as well. It was also noted that the Kingdom of Sweden will continue to monitor their progress and capabilities and give full support so their performance and skills would be at the expected level to carry out designated tasks.
State Secretary Simunovic said that the involvement of Croatian members in the EU battle groups was a priority contribution that Croatia provides to the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, especially in the light of the expectation that Croatia would soon become a full EU member. Croatia will in this context with special interests continue with a concrete contribution to the common European security and development and by ensuring the necessary capabilities and forces.
In addition to involvement in the battle group, they also discussed future developments and expectations of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU and its impact on national defence systems.
Nordic battle group has been currently, in the concept of battle groups of the European Union and the maintenance of high-readiness force for potential crises, from 1 January to 30 June 2011 in standby mode. It consists of about 2200 members of the Armed Forces from 6 countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Ireland, and Croatia. This is the first time that Croatia, as a future EU member, has been participating in one of the EU battle groups.