First Navy officer on duty in the EU operation “Atalanta”
Officer of the Croatian Navy Lieutenant Commander Vjekoslav Periša will assume today, 23 March 2012, duty in the command of French forces on the ground in the 11th rotation of peace support operation of the European Union “EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation Atalanta”, on the French flagship A630 MARNE.
Lieutenant Vjekoslav Periša was born on 4 August 1973 in Šibenik. He graduated from the Faculty of Maritime Studies and completed basic and advanced officer’s school on the Croatian Military College “Petar Zrinski”. He has been a member of the armed forces since 2002. He held a number of duties in the Navy, among others; he was commander of the patrol boat OB-04 “KOSTAJNICA CROATIA”.
Lieutenant Periša will hold his position in the French command of the peacekeeping operation “Atalanta” till 7 August 2012.
This continues an active participation of the Croatian Navy in the first EU maritime operation that triggered the protection of ships carrying food aid to Somalia – World Food Programme (WFP) and the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.