Military of Montenegro
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| Military of Montenegro |
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|---|---|
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| Military age | 18+ |
| Active personnel | 6,500 (ranked 136th) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Percent of GDP | 1% |
The Military of Montenegro is still in the process of being organized following Montenegrin independence in mid-2006.
Montenegro inherited a 6,500-strong military force from the previous combined armed forces of Serbia and Montenegro. It has announced plans to reduce the number of active personnel to around 2,500. This force will consist entirely of volunteers. Conscription was abolished on 30 August 2006 by decision of Montenegro's president, Filip Vujanović.
Montenegro retained practically the entire naval force of Serbia and Montenegro, but it is reduced to a force closer in size and capacity to a coast guard. Although the air arm of Montenegro currently has 9 G-4 Super Galebs in inventory, Montenegro doesn't plan to maintain a combat air force, but may keep transport helicopters and possibly a very small amount of armed helicopters as air defence.
Montenegro intends to seek NATO membership and is currently a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.
According to public opinion polls, support for membership in NATO is low. Independent analysts claim that the reasons for this are the NATO strikes of 1999, a poor communication strategy on the part of the government and a strong pacifist movement in Montenegro.
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[edit] Ministry of Defense
A Ministry of Defense is being assembled from scratch, as the Serbian-Montenegrin ministry has been inherited by Serbia. A permanent chief of staff has not yet been appointed, but the heads of the Army and Navy, Lieutenant General Jovan Lakčević and Vice Admiral Dragan Samardžić, were appointed acting chief and acting deputy chief, respectively, in June 2006.
[edit] Leaders
- Commander in Chief: President Filip Vujanović
- Minister of Defense: Boro Vučinić
- Chief of the General Staff: Lieutenant-General Jovan Lakčević
- Deputy Chief of the General Staff: Vice Admiral Dragan Samardžić
- Chief of the Staff: Major General Dragan Milosavljević
- Commander of Honor Battalion: 1st Class Captain Željko Radulović
- Commander of Military Police Company: lt. Vesko Popović
- Commander of Light Infantry Brigade: Colonel Goran Medojević
- Commander of Special Forces Brigade: Colonel Dragutin Dakić
- Commander of Training and Support Base: Colonel Rifet Kosovac
- Commander of Air Base: Colonel Vladislav Vlahović
- Commander of Naval Base: War Ship Captain Rajko Bulatović
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Infantry weapons
- CZ-99 Pistol 9 mm
- M76 7.9 mm Sniper rifle
- M91 7.62 mm Sniper rifle
- M93 Black Arrow Long Range Rifle
- M70A/M70B1 Assault Rifles 7.62 mm
- Heckler & Koch MP5 Sub machine gun
- M72 7.62 mm Machine gun
- M84 7.62 mm Machine gun
- Machine gun Ksp 58
[edit] Artillery
- M-46 130 mm towed field gun
[edit] Anti-tank missile systems
[edit] Vehicles
The army recently scrapped its entire fleet of 61 T-55 tanks to cut costs. Further downsizing is expected.[1]
[edit] Navy Equipment
[edit] Patrol boats
[edit] Search and rescue boats
[edit] 
Sailboats
- "Jadran" - pictured
[edit] Units & Structure
- Honor Battalion
- Honor Company
- Military Band
- Command Station
- SAS "Zlatica"
- Military Police Company
- Military Police Service Platoon
- 1st Military Police Platoon
- 2nd Military Police Platoon
- Traffic Military police Section
- Light Infantry Brigade
- 1st Light Infantry Battalion
- 2nd Light Infantry Battalion
- 3rd Light Infantry Battalion
- Reconnaissance Company
- Fire Support Company
- Air Defense Platoon
- Special Forces Brigade
- Counter-Terrorism Battalion
- Marine Platoon
- Military Police Platoon
- Signal Platoon
- Mountain Battalion
- Engineer Company
- NBCW Platoon
- Training and Support Base
- Logistic Center
- Training Center
- Medical Center
- Signal Center
- Air Base
- Helicopter Squadron
- 1st (Attack) Section
- 2nd (Transport) Section
- 3rd (Utility) Section
- Air Force Technical Company
- Air Base Security Platoon
- Helicopter Squadron
- Naval Base
- Command Station
- Patrol Boat Unit
- Coastal Reconnaissance and Guidance Unit
- Search and Rescue Unit
- "Jadran" Training Center
- Signal Platoon
- Logistic Platoon
[edit] The Military before 1918
The Military of Montenegro before 1918, the year of Montenegro's annexation by Serbia, was much larger than today's military. During World War I, Montenegro had contributed 50,000 troops. The Commander-in-Chief was King Nikola I of Montenegro, while the General of Staff was Božidar Janković. Units included:
Pljevlja Division
The Pljevlja Division was commanded by brigadier Luka Gojnić. The division was made up of 10 battalions. It had around 6,000 soldiers. It patrolled the area east from Pljevlja.
Herzegovina Detachment
The Herzegovina Detachment was commanded by serdar Janko Vukotić. The detachment was made up of 15 battalions. It had around 15,000 soldiers. It patrolled the border with Herzegovina.
Lovćen Detachment
The Lovćen Detachment was commanded by divizijar Mitja Martinović. The detachment was made up of 18 battalions. It had around 8,000 soldiers. It patrolled the areas of Lovćen and Sutorman.
'Old Serbia' Detachment
The 'Old Serbia' Detachment was commanded by brigadier Radomir Vešović. The detachment was made up of 13 battalions. It had around 6,000 soldiers. It secured the Albanian border.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- "Europe’s Newest State Trims the Army" (DefenseNews.com)
- "Appointment of the Acting Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro" (Website of the President of Montenegro)
- Montenegrin Armed Forces / Vojska Crne Gore - VCG
- Perspective of the Military of Montenegro, in English
- Montenegrin Armed Forces before 1918 / Vojska Crne Gore prije 1918
- Debate on NATO in Montenegro
- Milo Đukanović appoints himself as Minister of Defense
