The 1st Infantry Brigade (1st IBde), the largest combat unit within the Operations Command, marked the Day of the Unit with a military ceremony held at the “Strasho Pindzhur” barracks in Petrovec.
The ceremony was attended by: the Minister of Defense Vlado Misajlovski, the Chief of the Army General Staff Major General Sashko Lafchiski, the Deputy Minister of Defense Admir Shabani, the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, Major General Azim Nuredin, generals of the Army, representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, members of Parliament, former commanders of the unit, retired generals, military attachés, representatives of the local self-government and the Ministry of Interior, and other guests.
As part of the ceremony, incentive measures, recognitions, and awards were presented, and a ceremonial parade of the units was carried out, along with a display of part of the weaponry, vehicles, and equipment owned by the Brigade.
Minister Misajlovski told the members of the 1st Infantry Brigade that they are part of a unit that “sets standards and builds criteria,” and that they do not follow others, but instead set the level expected from all other members of the Army.
“Whether it is about developing interoperability, protecting the country, supporting Macedonian citizens during various natural disasters, participating in peace support operations, or strengthening the Alliance’s collective defense – we always look first to you and your capabilities,” the Minister said. He also told the Army personnel that the Ministry will continue to work toward “an even larger budget, improving your standard of living, improving the conditions in which you work, and providing new modern equipment for everything you need!”
At the ceremony, the Minister announced that a new public call for the recruitment of professional soldiers is being published today, which “enables 300 young and motivated Macedonian citizens, physically prepared and mentally capable, to become part of our Army and personally contribute to safeguarding what is most sacred to all of us.”
“As the largest unit at the tactical level, the 1st Infantry Brigade represents one of the key pillars of the Army, with a mission to continuously maintain the highest level of combat readiness in the function of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the homeland,” emphasized the Chief of the Army General Staff, Major General Sashko Lafchiski.
He pointed out that in the past period the 1st IBde had been a priority in the processes of modernization, equipping, and fulfilling NATO capability targets, emphasizing that it is necessary to continue, with maximum dedication, to apply lessons learned from modern conflicts and to continuously improve combat readiness. “Equipment alone is not enough – it does not win by itself, people win,” concluded General Lafchiski.
In his address, the Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Dejan Chiplakovski, gave a historical overview of the unit, highlighting the importance of past generations and former members of the unit as the foundation of its success. “Let us remain faithful and worthy of our motto, ‘HONOR AND STRENGTH,’ and we, the members of the 1st Infantry Brigade, should always look toward the future, without forgetting the past,” General Chiplakovski said.
At today’s celebration of the1st IBde, the lined up professional soldiers who took part in the formation of the unit, were presented with certificates of appreciation as a sign of gratitude.
By decision of the President, 2 April has been designated as the Day of the 1st IBde, in line with the tradition of the day when the 1st Infantry Brigade was transformed into the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade on 2 April, 2012.
