{"id":43868,"date":"2026-07-01T16:12:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=43868"},"modified":"2026-07-01T16:12:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:12:38","slug":"president-milanovic-observed-military-exercise-combat-power-26-the-exercise-demonstrated-the-capabilities-of-the-croatian-armed-forces","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-observed-military-exercise-combat-power-26-the-exercise-demonstrated-the-capabilities-of-the-croatian-armed-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107 Observed Military Exercise \u201cCombat Power 26\u201d: The Exercise Demonstrated the Capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe exercise was successful and demonstrated our capabilities. Our allies were also present, primarily the Americans, without whom international military cooperation would mean nothing. Our allies from Slovenia and Italy were there, as well as our friends from Kosovo, whom we will invite to this and similar events whenever the opportunity arises, regardless of what they think at NATO headquarters or anywhere else,\u201d stated the President of the Republic of Croatia and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovi\u0107, today following the international joint military exercise “Combat Power 26,” which he observed at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Ground in Slunj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 congratulated everyone who worked on it for weeks, especially the Chief of the General Staff, on a \u201cmaximal military exercise, given the conditions and the size of the training ground.\u201d \u201cCongratulations to everyone who participated in this. I owe this to those who spent days and weeks here in the dust and sweat, and before that in Udbina,\u201d said President Milanovi\u0107. He also thanked the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard \u201cwith whom we have excellent cooperation, not just in words but in deeds,\u201d and the outgoing U.S. defence attach\u00e9. \u201cThese are people with whom relations are good and meaningful. And you can only have this level of cooperation with the Americans because they simply have that volume and that political will, and are not desperate to ‘shove’ their goods onto everyone; rather, they choose. That is fundamentally the nature of superpowers, and there are very few superpowers,\u201d stated President Milanovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the exercise, which is being conducted at several locations across the country from 22 June to 3 July 2026, the capabilities and readiness of the Croatian Armed Forces were demonstrated to carry out tasks aimed at deterrence and defence within the framework of a collective defence mission, alongside allies and partners. With the participation of more than 2.000 members of the Croatian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, over 400 members of the armed forces from nine different allied and partner countries participated in the international joint military exercise \u201cCombat Power 26\u201d at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Ground in Slunj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the 30th<\/sup> anniversary of cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and the Minnesota National Guard within the State Partnership Program, the President of the Republic of Croatia and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovi\u0107, acting on his constitutional and legal authorities, issued Decisions on Decorations for officers of the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 presented the decorations to the American officers as part of the Distinguished Visitors Day at the joint international military exercise \u201cCombat Power 26\u201d at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Ground in Slunj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 decorated Major General Shawn P. Manke, the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard, with the Order of Duke Trpimir with Ribbon and Star, for his exceptional contribution to the international reputation of the Republic of Croatia and the development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Croatia and the United States of America, as well as the successful cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Minnesota National Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President of the Republic decorated Colonel Scott D. McLearn, the Defence Attach\u00e9 of the United States of America to the Republic of Croatia, with the Order of the Croatian Interlace, for his exceptional contribution to the development of bilateral defence cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the United States of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, the military exercise was observed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anu\u0161i\u0107, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, and numerous other high-ranking dignitaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanying President Milanovi\u0107 were the Head of the Office of the President of the Republic Orsat Miljeni\u0107, the Chief of Staff to the President Bartol \u0160imuni\u0107, the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defence Ivica Oluji\u0107, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Goran Grobotek, and the Head of the Military Office in the Cabinet for Defence of the Office of the President of the Republic Colonel Franjo Hrala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Ana Marija Kati\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe exercise was successful and demonstrated our capabilities. Our allies were also present, primarily the Americans, without whom international military cooperation would mean nothing. Our allies from Slovenia and Italy were there, as well as our friends from Kosovo, whom we will invite to this and similar events whenever the opportunity arises, regardless of what they think at NATO headquarters or anywhere else,\u201d stated the President of the Republic of Croatia and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovi\u0107, today following the international joint military exercise “Combat Power 26,” which he observed at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Ground in Slunj.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43867,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-43868","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107 Observed Military Exercise \u201cCombat Power 26\u201d: The Exercise Demonstrated the Capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-observed-military-exercise-combat-power-26-the-exercise-demonstrated-the-capabilities-of-the-croatian-armed-forces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107 Observed Military Exercise \u201cCombat Power 26\u201d: The Exercise Demonstrated the Capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe exercise was successful and demonstrated our capabilities. 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