Basis of the National Defence Policy And Doctrine

 

The national defence policy and doctrine are determined and based upon the following basic security policy goals of the Republic of North Macedonia:

• to protect the lives and the personal safety of the civilians;
• to guarantee the independence and the territorial integrity of the state;
• to guarantee the material well being and the prosperity of the civilians.

 

Our security policy sticks strategic to the following determinations in order to accomplish these goals:

• political and economic integration in the EU;
• political, that is military integration in the Collective Security and Defence Systems – UN, NATO, OSCE, WEU;
• maintaining of good equal neighbourly relations with all of our neighbours;
• organising of our own defence system.

 

Starting out from the security policy provisions and goals, the defence policy is based upon the following principles:

• Organising of the defence as a system which enables fulfillment of the rights and the commitments of each citizen to defend the country which is guaranteed by the Constitution;
• Organising the defence in order to fulfill the right to an individual and collective self-defence by an armed combat in case of an armed attack, guaranteed by Article 51 of the UN Charter;
• Assuring the defensive character of the defence system;
• Organisation of the Armed Forces as a deterring factor for aggression and other threats to the security of the country and capable of armed resistance in case of an aggression;
• Organising of the defence for full protection of the air sovereignty;
• Uniformity in the use of the Armed Forces.

 

The political defence strategy bases upon:

• Deterring aggression;
• Defending the country in case of an aggression;
• Uniformity and conformity in the international co-operation in the area of defence.

 

The state maintains a defensive potential and combat readiness of its Armed Forces which function as a deterring factor in case of a potential aggression in accordance with our capabilities and international arrangements.

 

In accordance with the Article 123 of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia, no one in the state has the right to declare capitulation. Therefore, the defence system is based on the determination to give resistance by use of an armed force against any possible aggression and for a defensive combat on the whole territory. For that purpose, the defence system is responsible to provide conditions so that all of the state authorities and institutions function and conditions for joining the collective defence and security systems as a protection of the independence and sovereignty are provided.

 

The Republic could maintain all the guarantees for its security through the collective defence and security systems. That is why, the Republic supports the reinforcement of these collective systems and determines itself to actively participate in these systems and to cooperate with regard to the construction of the new European security architecture based upon NATO, OSCE and WEU.

 

In order to fulfill these principles and strategic goals, the defence system  is a completed with the peacetime and warfare organisation, the basic development goals, the preparations and the use of the Armed Forces as well as the full civilian control over the Armed Forces. The defence system comprises the whole defence potential of the country: civilians, state authorities, civil protection forces, local self-management, public institutions and services and enterprises of special significance for the defence.

 

The preparations for a successful defence are conducted during peacetime. These include preparations of the state authorities; preparations and training of the Armed Forces and their deployment on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia; preparation of the public institutions and the local self-management; preparations of the civil population and participation in joint exercises and other forms of co-operation with the PfP and NATO member countries.

 

National Command Management

The management and the procedures in the field of defence of the Republic of Macedonia are defined by the Constitution, the Defence Law and by the responsibilities of the executive and judicial authorities.

The commanding with the Armed Forces is based upon the uniformity in command when using the forces and the resources, and the responsibility to execute the decisions and the orders of the one that is superior in command.

 

The President

 

The President passes the defence plan and strategy, the decisions for readiness conducting, organisation and formation structure of the Army, passes documents on development, decision on mobilization etc.

 

The President at the same time is the Chairman of the Security Council o. The Security Council considers all the defence and security related issues of the Republic and makes recommendations to the Parliament and to the Government.

 

The Parliament  supervises the competence of the Government with regard to the defence, it passes decisions on the existing of a direct threat from a war, declares warfare situation and peace and passes the defence budget.

The Parliamentary Interior Policy and Defence Commission has similar responsibilities.

 

The Government has the following responsibilities: proposes the defence plan, the defence budget etc.

 

The Ministry of Defence develops the defence strategy and works out the assessment of the possible threats and risks. The MOD is also responsible for the defence system, training, readiness of the Armed Forces, the equipment and the development and it proposes the defence budget, etc.