Maj. Gen. Matanović assumes duty as Deputy Chief of GS

The ceremony was attended by the Defence Minister Josip Buljević, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Mirko Šundov, the Inspector General Major General Slaven Zdilar, the Director of the Military Security and Information Agency , Brigadier General Ivica Kinder, the Military Ordinary, Mons. Jure Bogdan, the commnders of the services and commands of the Croatian Armed Forces and the heads of the directorates and the units subordinated to the General Staff.
The Defence Minister Josip Buljević expressed the gratitude to Lieutenant General Repinc on the honourable service:“The members of the Croatian Armed Forces have been and remain our biggest strength, using the resources available, managing the organisation, conducting complex processes and upgrading  the capabilities.
All of you have left a part of you in the Armed Forces, contributing in his/her way to the growth of our country,  its strength, stability and credibility. Our gratitude goes to You, General for having used  your abilities for the benefit of our joint achievements and personally contributed to the development of our Armed Forces“, said Minister Buljević, who bid welcome to the duty to General  Matanović, who would give his personal stamp during the service as he had done throughout his career.
The Chief of the General Staff in his address paid tribute to the two “outstanding officers, with exemplary military careers and extended the acknowledgment to  Lt. Gen. Repinc for the honourable service in the Croatian Armed Forces over the past 25 years.
“General Repinc is the Nestor of the General Staff and we shall miss his advice, calmness and composure,  characteristic of the people who are confident in their knowlege and capabilities“, said General  Šundov, who expressed the confidence that  Major General Matanović – a professional , well-trained and experienced general officer  would duly succeed Lt. Gen. Repinc as Deputy Chief. 
General Repinc extended his appreciation to the staff and recalled the past 25 years of service during which time he had the honour and the privilege of working with extraordinary professional and patriotic figures. General stated he was happy to have been given the opportunity to take part in projects of critical importance for the development of the Armed Forces, to to be the first Croatian graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the first Croatian officer to have commanded a UN mission.
General Repinc welcomed the appointment of Maj. Gen. Matanović as his successor,  as they shared the views on the Croatian Armed Forces and the defence system, to which Major General Matanović would give his specific personal contribution and help address the challenges before them. He also wished his former colleagues and staff the success in their own duties.
General Matanović expressed his appreciation for the highly honourable appointment, which for him meant a challenge and a recognition for his performance to date, and acknowledged Lt. Gen.  Repinc’s professionalism, co-operability and the human and friendly attitude, which he would foster during his own service. „I shall employ my experience in the domain of training, education and logistics in full support to the Chief of the General Staff“, said Major General Matanović, who  also shared his view on the need of standardised defence planning and harmonised operation of the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence as a condition of long-term stabilisation of the defence system.
Major General Drago Matanović’s career began still in the Croatian National Guard (ZNG); later, with the establishment of the Croatian Army (HV) he was appointed battalion commander and the 2nd Guards Brigade Commander  respectively, and to the senior responsible duties in the Armed Forces (Chief of Staff  and Deputy Commander of the Training Command, the Head of the Military Education Directorate and the Head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces.
Follwoing the completion of the highest military education and training programmes (in-country and abroad) General Matanović exercised the duty of Assistant and Deputy Inspector General .
For his outstanting contribution in the Homeland War and to the development of the Croatian Armed Forces he received a series of decorations and commendations.
For the past two years he was the Commander of the Support Command.
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