Brig Gen. Šćuri visits helicopter crews at Zemunik
The Commander of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, Brig. Gen. Dražen Šćuri visited on 14 February 2013 the 93rd Air Base in the „Zemunik“ Barracks to meet with the Croatian, the Czech and the Hungarian attendees of the joint Air Advisory Team Pre-deployment Training Course.
General Šćuri was welcomed by Lt.Col Karol Lučan, the Commander of the 93rd Air Force and Air Defence Base, and Lt. Col. Michael Križanec, the Course Commander.
The Air Advisory Team Pre-deployment Training Course is entering its final phase. The air targeting practice will be followed by flights on the Mi-171Sh helicopters of the Croatian Air Force and on the Mi-24 Czech helicopters.
The Course constitutes joint training of helicopter crews and maintenance technicians as part of the pre-deployment training and preparation for the mission of an Air Force Mentoring Team to the Afghan Air Force members according to NATO standards and procedures.
The attendees are from the Armed Forces of Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, while Slovakia is participating as observer.
The Course was co-designed by the Croatian and the Czech teams, with the advisory support of the United States’ Special Operations Command for Europe (SOCEUR) and has been accepted and entered into the part of the NATO’s „Smart Defence“ Initiative.
“We attach great attention to this course, as it has received international confirmation through NATO Concept of Smart Defence. With the third Course behind us, we can evaluate positively both the Training Programme and the attained level of trainedness and preparedness of all attending national teams. The Programme for each new Team is complemented with the lessons learned from previous operations. A series of partner nations have also declared interest to attend the training of the kind, conducted and co-ordinated by the Croatian pilots, and supported by the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, which will continue to assist with other courses and international activities conducted in the Air Base at Zemunik“, stated Brig. Gen. Šćuri.
The ministers discussed strengthening of European defence capabilities, possibilities of development and supporting of defence projects through the European Union structural funds. Among the topics was also associating of the defence sector with the industrial and academic communities respectively, to foster development of capabilities for civilian and military use alike, and the two currently conducted operations by the European Union – the EU NAVFOR Somalia ATALANTA and the EU TM Somalia (the training mission for Somali security force).
On the Ministerial agenda was also enhancement of the EU-UN partnership with regard to support to UN peace operations and ways to enhance the co-operation between the United Nations and the Common Security and Defence Policy of the EU.[nggallery id=1058]