Croatian Armed Forces ready for fire-fighting season
Minister of Defence, Davor Bozinovic visited on Friday, May 6, the 93rd Air Force Base in Zemunik barracks in Zadar, where he met with the readiness and organization of CAF fire-fighting task force (CAF FF TF).
After the presentation, held by Major General Mate Obradovic, the commander of CAF FF TF, and touring the equipment and aircraft in Zemunik, Minister Bozinovic said to media representatives that the Croatian Armed Forces were fully prepared for the upcoming fire-fighting season. “The number of fires this year is much higher than in previous years, but in these circumstances, personnel, aircraft and helicopters as well as the CAF technical means are ready to intervene and do preventive actions”, Bozinovic said.
With the equipment and manpower of the Army, for FF season six Canadair CL-415, six AT-802 aircraft and two Mi-8 MTV-1, one DBM and DJB ship and two rubber boats were prepared, and since February this year in the intervention and fire extinguishing of 79 fires we spent 11.236.333,00 kunas.
Before visiting Zemunik, during the morning hours in Zadar, Minister Bozinovic participated in the roundtable “Perspectives of EU enlargement on South East Europe – Croatia’s experience and the role of media.” The round table was organized in cooperation with the Croatian Association of Radio and Newspapers, Croatian Statehood Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the Defense Minister gave a lecture entitled “Croatia, 28th EU member state – does it need new foreign and security policy “.
During his lecture, Minister Bozinovic said that Croatia can and should contribute to the security architecture of the European Union, especially in the area of conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization. In this sense, although not yet a member of the European Union, Croatia has participated in many international missions that took place under the leadership of the EU, and thus actively contributed to common safety. And in the coming period will be so: currently Croatia is in the course of integration into the EU Nordic battle group led by Sweden, and the following year Croatia will participate in the activities of EU battle group led by Germany. “In the history of mankind”, Minister Bozinovic said, “NATO is the most successful defensive alliance and the European Union is the most successful regional alliance. Membership in these two clubs is not a trend or a fad, but the most important Croatian national interest. “