Cadet oath-taking ceremony at the Croatian Defence Academy

 attended by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Croatian Armed Forces, Ivo Josipović,  the Defence Minister, Ante Kotromanović, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Drago Lovrić, the Minister of Science, Education and Sport, Vedran Mornar, and the Rector of the University of Zagreb, Aleksa Bjeliš, among other senior officials.
The oath was taken by 97 new cadets – 91 taking the Military Engineering or Military Management programme and 6 military pilot training respectively. Four students from the neighbouring countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia)  attend the programmes this year as well.

The programmes, comprising eight semesters and worth 240 ECTS points, have been co-designed by the Croatian Armed Forces and the University of Zagreb. The curricula contain the general academic and the military subjects required for the initial Army officer duty. They will be mostly administered in the Croatian Defence Academy and in the training centres and ranges of the Croatian Armed Forces, while some classes will be conducted in specialist academic capacities of the University of Zagreb.  The education and living costs will be entirely covered by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia.

In his address following the oath-taking ceremony President Josipović emphasised that joining the Croatian Armed Forces was a highly important mission, and expressed confidence in the successful completion. The President also highlighted that the programmes placed demand on the officials, the Armed Forces and the academic community to prepare the young generations for the challenges of the future. “The imperative was to integrate military expertise into the academic curriculum to ensure equal status for the programmes and the diplomas  those conferred by the rest of the University. The programmes entail an added value of being members of the Armed Forces and comprehending specialist and defence-relevant knowledge”.

Minister Kotromanović congratulated the cadets on the oath taken, introducing them into the élite and victorious Croatian Armed Forces, a member of NATO.  «Among you are the future commanders of the guards brigades and other top units. Investing into personnel is the Ministry of Defence’s strategic policy, producing the quality education system designed to train new generations of officers of the Croatian Armed Forces». The Minister also stated that the students were offered excellent studying conditions, ensured through sizable investments.
The Chief of the General Staff, General Drago Lovrić called on the cadets to cherish the values built into the Croatian Armed Forces. «The new study programmes will help us educate military leaders of the 21st century ; the Croatian Defence Academy has to be alert to current trends and adjust the curricula accordingly. Our future officers should at once look ahead and enjoy trust from their subordinates, possess the skills to manage the organisation and handle the resources wisely,  guided by ethics and justness», said General Lovrić.

The Commander of the Croatian Defence Academy, Lieutenant General Slavko Barić highlighted the oath-taking day as important for the Croatian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the cadets alike.  “You will spend the years ahead of you studying, showing commitment and investing into your future, to become military officers recognised both in the civilian and in the military system, as well as in international environments” said Lt. Gen. Barić.

The Minister of Science, Education and Sport, Vedran Mornar emphasised the importance of the military profession, evinced also in the event of disasters, where the future officers’ organisational and leader abilities will be highly valuable in relief operations. 

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