Experience and Challenges

Bearing in mind the need for an exchange of experience and know-how in the reform of the military, especially with countries that are lagging behind in the democratic transition process, the Center for Civilian-Military Relations and European Movement in Serbia, working in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Defense, and with the support of the OSCE Mission to the FRY, the Embassy of Great Britain, the NATO General Staff and the Geneva Center for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces, organized a one-day international seminar entitled "Reform of the Armed Forces – Experience and Challenges"

NGO & YA: Cooperation between government and non-government organizations can accelerate reform of the security sector and the Yugoslav Army.

Milorad Timotić

The seminar was opened by Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Goran Svilanović, the acting head of the OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Mark Davison, and the Ambassador of Great Britain to the FRY, H.E. Charles Crawford. Among those taking part in the seminar were delegates to the Federal and National Assemblies, experts from the Federal Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army (YA), Serbian and foreign researchers, specialists from domestic non-government organizations, and journalists specializing in this field, as well as students from military colleges, the Military Academy, the Faculty of Political Science and the Faculty of Civil Defense.

The ambassadors of Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Denmark were guests at the seminar, as were defense attaches from Great Britain, Russia, the USA, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia. High-ranking representatives of the European Union Commission, the OSCE Mission to the FRY, and international non-government organizations also took part in the seminar.

EXPERIENCE: In the first part of the seminar, high-ranking representatives of the ministries of defense of Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia shared their countries' experience in reform of the army. Afterwards, George Katsirdakis, high representative of NATO Headquarters in Brussels, explained the connection between reform of the military and candidacy for membership in NATO. Dr Andrzej Karkoszka outlined the contribution made by the Geneva Center for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces to military reform in the countries of Southeast Europe. Dr Jovan Teokarević of the Institute for European Studies presented his findings concerning the process of reform of the armed forces in transition countries.

In the second part of the seminar, high-ranking political and military representatives of FR Yugoslavia – the chairman of the Chamber of Citizens of the Federal Assembly, Dragoljub Mićunović, Federal Minister of Defense Velimir Radojević, and the deputy head of the YA General Staff, Branko Krga – informed participants of achievements and plans for further reform in the Yugoslav Army and the security sector in FR Yugoslavia. Dr Tim Edmunds of King's College in Britain also presented his view of the process of reform of the armed forces in the FRY.

The plenary discussion was devoted to an examination of the mutual relationship between reform of the Yugoslav Army and FR Yugoslavia's inclusion in Euro-Atlantic security structures. Dr Predrag Simić, foreign affairs advisor to the president of the FRY, and ambassador Prvoslav Davinić, national coordinator for the Third Table of the Stability Pact, were among those who spoke on this topic.

CHALLENGES: The seminar was concluded by Federal Minister of Defense Velimir Radojević. The minister used this occasion to point out that general agreement had been reached on the following issues:

Reform of the security sector – and, in this regard, of the armed forces as well – represents an important precondition for the democratic transformation of Serbia and Montenegro and their federal state;
Overall reform of the security sector and the armed forces, that is, the army, represents one of the key conditions for the integration of Serbia and Montenegro into the Euro-Atlantic community;
Inclusion of the federal state of Serbia and Montenegro in the Partnership for Peace program is the starting point for security integration within the Euro-Atlantic community. This, among other things, implies a comprehensive exchange of information, know-how and experience with NATO and the countries of Southeast Europe in the area of reform of the security sector and the Yugoslav Army;
Without reform of the Yugoslav Army, there can be no successful reform of the security sector;
Reform of the Army is a complicated, expensive and long-lasting process, which must unfold according to a national plan and on the basis of a strategy for national (state) security, in harmony with the country's social and economic capacities, with the aim of forming a numerically smaller, modernly-equipped and professional army;
The planned reforms require that, in the future, constitutional and legislative acts will contain procedures and instruments for democratic, civilian control and supervision of the security sector and the armed forces, that is, the army, while guaranteeing their professional autonomy;
Citizens and their organizations – non-government organizations – have an interest in and a right to participation in planning national security strategy, that is, the purpose and size of the armed forces, and to exercise public control over their functioning;
Above all, cooperation between government and non-government organizations can contribute to better conception, implementation and critical re-examination of ongoing reforms of the security sector and the Yugoslav Army.

In conclusion, the minister expressed special thanks to the representatives of Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia for their participation and the readiness they have shown to support reform of Serbia's security sector and army, as well as FR Yugoslavia's inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic community.

(The author is secretary of the Center for Civilian-Military Relations)