President Milanović Presents Military Ranks to Cadets Telling Them their First Duty Is to Protect the Homeland

The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović hosted in the Office of the President of the Republic a presentation ceremony of military ranks and officers daggers to the 14^th generation of graduate students and 15^th generation of undergraduate students of the Croatian Defence Academy “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” University Study Programme of Military Engineering and Military Leadership and Management who graduated in the fall term at the University of Zagreb.

In his address President Milanović told the cadets, who as of today are officers of the Croatian Army, that they are the Croatian military future. “We’re proud of you, and you should be proud of what you shall serve: the Croatian homeland! Your duty is protect its territorial integrity and everything that democratic armies protect in democratic states, in which civilian authorities govern, but in which the army carries the heaviest weight in the hardest of times. That burden and those moments have to be avoided. We will work jointly on that, I as President and Commander in Chief, the Ministry, the Minister, military commanders, all of us together – to keep you for what we believe shall never happen”, the President noted.

He stated that their primary task is to protect the homeland Croatia, but that Croatia is also a member of international alliances, primarily NATO. “We participate and shall participate in that Alliance in solidarity, in proper fashion, in partnership and in alliance with those who need assistance, yet doing everything not to let this assistance reach a maximum, namely war conflicts”, President MIlanović said, and added that as Commander in Chief he will see to it that they are participating in areas where they can learn the most. “So that tomorrow it can be an asset to the homeland, but that you are not unadvisedly and unnecessarily exposed to a risk of no benefit to Croatia and something Croatia should not have to do with. That is important, because, and I repeat, you’re the Croatian Army and your primary duty is to protect the homeland”, President Milanović underscored.

“Thirty years ago a handful of brave people, at first without arms, later with a few arms, defended Croatia and that’s why we call them defenders. Croatia is defended!”, the President exclaimed, underlining that there would be no freedom, independence and membership in the European Union had Croatia not been defended in a few decisive and most important months of 1991. “You’re the successors of those people. Those people are among the bravest and most important members of our nation in our long history”, President Milanović stated in the conclusion of his address.

In accordance with his legal powers, the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces made a Decision to Bestow the Rank of Second Lieutenant upon 18 cadets of the 14^th and 15^th generations having successfully defended their final graduate papers. Accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff Admiral Robert Hranj and the Commander of the Croatian Defence Academy Lieutenant General Mate Pađen, President Milanović bestowed the military ranks and officers daggers upon the following cadets: Livio Dužić, Ivan Mihaljević, Jakov Knežević, Matej Moric, Mate Roglić, Vid Števinović, Ivan Krajnović, Marko Krmpotić, Luka Vlahović, Igor Hegediš, Gabriel Šimunić, Matej Tadić, Ante Žura, Anamarija Čvrk, Domagoj Vuković, Pere Križan, Danijel Radovac and Zvonimir Soldo.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta, Filip Glas