Serbian Army


The Serbian Army is the land-based component of the Serbian Armed Forces, responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia from foreign hostiles; participating in peacekeeping operations; and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Originally established in 1830, the Serbian army was incorporated into the newly established state of Yugoslavia in 1918. The current Serbian army has been active since 2006 when Serbia restored its independence.

History

Current status

The Serbian Army is the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. There are approximately 17,850 active members and additional 50,000 in reserves. The army is composed entirely of professionals and volunteers following the suspension of mandatory military service on January 1, 2011.
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th army brigades are tasked with securing the 5 km wide Ground Safety Zone along the administrative line between Central Serbia and the disputed territory of Kosovo. The Ground Safety Zone extends 384 kilometres long and covers a total area of about 1,920 square kilometres. There are over 20 camps and security checkpoints in the zone.
There are plans to increase the Serbian army's involvement in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations abroad.

Formations and structure

Following the 2006 reorganization, the Serbian Army consists of six primary brigades. The four army brigades are larger than a conventional modern brigade, their size is more akin to a division. Each army brigade consists of ten battalions: one command battalion, one armored battalion, two mechanized battalions, two infantry battalions, one self-propelled artillery battalion, one self-propelled multiple rocket launcher artillery Battalion, one air defense battalion, one engineering battalion and one logistic battalion.

Armoured fighting vehicles

At the end of 2018 Serbian army had 414 tanks, this number will be increased by 30 T-72 tanks which are to be donated by Russia.