Current form 2006 Ranks Military ranks of Serbia Headquarters Belgrade, Serbia | Minister of Defence Zoran Đorđević Budget 503 million USD (2017) Founded 1838 | |
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Commander-in-Chief President Tomislav Nikolić Chief of the General Staff General Ljubiša Diković Military age 18 years of age for voluntary military service Fit for
military service 3,573,091 males, age 16-49 (2010 est.),
3,537,415 females, age 16-49 (2010 est.) Service branches Serbian Army, Serbian Air Force and Air Defence Similar Serbian Army, Yugoslav People's Army, Serbian Air Force and Air Defen, Yugoslav Air Force, Republic of Croatia Armed Fo | ||
The Serbian Armed Forces (Serbian: Војска Србије / Vojska Srbije) are the armed forces of Serbia. The armed forces consist of the Serbian Army and the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence. The Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is the President of the Republic. The Serbian Armed Forces are a professional and volunteer based military. Serbia exercises civilian control of the military through the Ministry of Defence.
Contents
- History
- Organisation
- Service branches
- Serbian Army
- Serbian Air Force and Air Defense
- Reserve
- Peacekeeping
- References
History
The 1804 Serbian Revolution, started with the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman occupation of Serbia. The victories in the battles of Ivankovac, Mišar, Deligrad and Belgrade, led to the establishment of the Principality of Serbia in 1817. The subsequent Second Serbian Uprising led to full independence and recognition of the Kingdom of Serbia and weakened the Ottoman dominance in the Balkans. In 1885, the Serbo-Bulgarian War broke out following the Bulgarian unification. In 1912, the First Balkan War erupted between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria). The victories in the Battle of Kumanovo, Battle of Prilep, Battle of Monastir, Battle of Adrianople, Siege of Scutari resulted in the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and its expulsion from the Balkans. Shortly after, the Second Balkan War broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with the division of territory, declared war against its former allies, Serbia and Greece. Following a string of defeats, Bulgaria requested an armistice and signed the Treaty of Bucharest, formally ending the war.
Serbia's independence and growing influence threatened neighboring Austria-Hungary which led to the Bosnian crisis of 1908–09. Consequently, since 1901, all Serbian males between the ages of 21 to 46 were liable for general mobilization. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia under the pretense that Serbia was responsible for the assassination, marking the beginning of the First World War. Serbia repelled three consecutive invasions by Austria, securing the first major victories of the war for the Allies, but was eventually overwhelmed by the combined forces of the Central Powers and forced to retreat through Albania to the Greek island of Corfu.
Organisation
The Serbian Armed Forces are commanded by the General Staff corp of senior officers. The general staff is led by the Chief of the General Staff. The chief of the general staff is appointed by the President who is the Commander-in-Chief. The current Chief of the General Staff is General Ljubiša Diković.
The armed forces are formally a part of the Ministry of Defence. The current Minister of Defence is Zoran Đorđević.
Service branches
Following the 2006 reorganization, the armed forces consist of the following service branches:
Serbian Army
The Serbian Army (including a River Flotilla on the Danube) is the land-based component of the armed forces consisting of: infantry, armoured, artillery, engineering, and special forces units.
Serbian Air Force and Air Defense
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence is the aviation and anti-aircraft defence based component of the armed forces consisting of: aviation, anti-aircraft, surveillance and reconnaissance units.
Reserve
The reserve force is composed of an active reserve and passive reserve. The active reserve force numbers 2,000 members, while the passive reserve totals about 1.7 million citizens with past military training or experience.
Peacekeeping
The Serbian Armed Forces actively take part in several multinational peacekeeping missions.