Today, at the military barracks “Jane Sandanski” in Shtip, in the presence of the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, the Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, the Army Chief of the General Staff (GS), Major General Sashko Lafchiski, the U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia, Angela P. Aggeler, the Deputy Chief of GS, Major General Azim Nuredin, the Director of the GS, Brigadier General Orce Jordev, the Commander of the Operations Command, Brigadier General Mirche Gjorgoski, and the Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Dejan Chiplakovski, a presentation was held for the newly-arrived light armoured vehicles (JLTVs – Joint Light Tactical Vehicles) .
During the presentation, attendees were informed about the mission and tasks of the Light Infantry Battalion Group (LIBG), the tactical-technical characteristics of the vehicles, future activities of the unit – primarily its participation in exercises and training in the country and abroad, as well as the upcoming evaluation of the LIBG, which is scheduled to take place next year as part of the military exercise ‘Macedonian Flash 26’
On the occasion, General Lafchiski emphasized the importance of the modernization process, underlying that in just the past few months, the Army has considerably increased its combat readiness. He added that in the forthcoming period the LIBG will face numerous challenges, including participation in the military exercise “Saber Junction 25”, where the operational capabilities of the LIBG will be assessed.
“As Prime Minister, national security has always been one of my top priorities, for securing peace and stability in the country, because those are the fundamental conditions to develop a progressive society which offers a future for all citizens, and a key link in this ambition is the Macedonian Army”, said Prime Minister Mickoski.
“Today, he added, we are attending this event which, I would say, is a continuation of the event that took place a year ago, which the esteemed U.S. Ambassador spoke about. I am truly proud that, slowly but surely, we are staffing up, completing, and strengthening the Macedonian Army. We will not stop here – we will continue moving forward,” said the Prime Minister.
Minister Misajlovski pointed out that the defense capacities of the Army continue to increase and strengthen, and that in cooperation with the U.S. and the programs used for modernization procurement, the number of vehicles has almost doubled.
“Twenty-nine new armored vehicles, procured through the Government-to-Government agreement, are already part of the Army. With this new delivery, we are getting closer to the required number of vehicles. Additionally, we expect that some of the STRYKER armored vehicles, also of American production, will arrive soon,” said Misajlovski, adding that the vehicles are intended for the Light Infantry Battalion Group, our declared unit that will be ready for deployment and missions if needed.
The Minister informed that 7 new agreements have been signed with the USA, involving projects that are currently in the process of being implemented. These projects relate to the procurement of equipment for special forces, acquisition of unmanned systems, cyber protection equipment, light infantry weapons, personal protective gear, and a Joint Fire Control Kit.
Ambassador Aggeler underlined that these light armoured vehicles are a symbol of the U.S continuous support to North Macedonia and its defense capabilities, and are one “strong and powerful symbol of your progress toward achieving a modernized army – equipped and ready to meet the needs and demands of today’s complex security environment”.
By the end of 2025, we are expecting the arrival of the remaining JLTV vehicles, type Oshkosh, which will round up one of the major modernization and equipment projects for the Army.
