The Operations Command (OC) marked October 17, the Day of the Unit, with a military ceremony held in the barracks “Boro Menkov” in Kumanovo, in compliance with the measures and recommendations of the Commission for Infectious Diseases for “Covid 19”.
The Chief of General Staff of the Republic of North Macedonia, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski and the Commander of the OC, Major General Pavle Arsoski addressed the audience.
In his address General Gjurchinovski stated that it was a great honor to speak in front of the OC members on their Day, in the year when the country achieved its strategic goal, an aspiration for which we relentlessly worked since the first year of independence. He stressed that besides the challenges faced such as the current situation on the southern border and the health crisis caused by the pandemic “Covid 19”, we were successfully implementing the army transformation process and integration into the alliance.
Addressing the members of the command, he said: “Your commands and units successfully carry out all the given assignments with a high degree of professionalism, to which I am especially proud as your former member. I expect you to complete the assignments ahead, with commitment, motivation, honesty, teamwork, loyalty and efficiency. “Together we will pursue national interests and fulfill what is expected of us.”
The commander of the OC, Major General Pavle Arsoski, also addressed the lined up soldiers, stating that challenges faced by this command in the past year put to test adaptability, knowledge and experience, commitment and readiness. He pointed out that the OC units completed the assignments given by their superiors in an appropriate manner, quickly, flexibly and efficiently. The remaining obligations are to continue the transformation and reforms, as well as the initial, biggest and the most important obligation to prepare the declared units for NATO.
The celebration was also attended by Deputy Defense Minister Bashkim Hasani, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense Dragan Nikolic, Army generals, former commanders of this command, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, the association of military Attachés and mayors of local governments.
During the ceremony OC members were promoted, commended and awarded for the results achieved at work.
October 17 is designated as the day of the Operations Command, as a commemoration of a significant historical event on which the traditions of the Army are based, when in 1887, in the village of Kresna, the headquarters of the Macedonian Uprising was established. Hence it was, also, the day of the uprising.
The Operations Command, as a command on operational level, began as Army Corps, and then in 2000 it was transformed into the 1st Army Corps, in 2002 it was renamed the Land Forces Command, and since 2005 it has been restructured according to NATO standards in the Joint Operations Command. In accordance with the ongoing transformation processes after the full-fledged NATO membership the command got its current name.
