Chief of General Staff paid official visit to the U.S.

Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Drago Lovrić paid an official visit to the United States from 4 to 7 February 2012.

During his stay he visited U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida, where he met the USCENTCOM Commander General James Mattis. General Mattis particularly emphasized and praised the participation of the Armed Forces in the ISAF peace support operation in Afghanistan and stressed the importance of the Croatian Armed Forces in the US-Adriatic Charter regional initiative (A-5). They also talked about the coalition support in order to improve the CAF operational capabilities, and on the importance of military cooperation.

General Lovric visited the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where he met with the Commander Admiral William McRaven. The official visit has confirmed the high level of military cooperation and friendly relations and partnership of the Croatian Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces.

Besides the Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Drago Lovrić, the Croatian delegation was also comprised of Military Attaché of the Republic of Croatia to the U.S. Brigadier General Mate Pađen, National Military Representative of Croatia to the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Colonel Ivica Kranjčević and staff officer in USCENTCOM Lieutenant Colonel Branimir Tojčić.