Macedonian President and Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, HE Dr. Gjorge Ivanov visited the members of ARM units stationed in the barracks “Jane Sandanski” in Stip, as part of the planned visit of Army barracks in order to oversee the situation in ARM.
During the visit, President Ivanov was accompanied by the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Metodija Velichkovski, and the commanders of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) and the First Mechanized Infantry Brigade (1st MIB), Brigadier General Zoran Mileski and Brigadier General Mirce Gjorgoski.
The Supreme Commander was informed by the members of the Second Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the First Logistic Battalion about the current situation and the challenges these units face, in terms of the training conditions and the life of the personnel.
The armament and equipment of these units were presented during the visit, and the Supreme Commander inspected some premises to familiarize with the working conditions and the functioning of the barracks “Jane Sandanski”.
President Ivanov had an opportunity to observe the demonstration exercise “neutralizing an illegal armed group in an urban environment” during which the members of the 2.MIBN showed high level of training and dedication in carrying out the tasks performed in operations during peacekeeping missions.
In a statement for the press the Chief of General Staff, General Velichkovski emphasized the following: ”The Second Mechanized Infantry Battalion, based in Stip garrison is one of the leading units of ARM. This is a long tradition since the evaluation of the declared units starts from the town of Stip, with the bilateral exercise Macedonian Flash 1, a brand recognised in the region”.
The Mechanized Infantry Battalion will face new challenges in the following year, when besides the ongoing activities the personnel will have to renew their certifications i.e. to renew the assessment mark for a Macedonian Battle Group, received three years ago.
