A delegation from the United States Department of Defense, led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense with responsibility for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Dr. Michael Carpenter was in an official visit of the General Staff of the ARM and of some units, part of the Joint Operations Command (JOC).
During their visit of the MoD and the GS of the ARM, the delegation whose member was also the Director, European Partnership Task Force, United States European Command (USEUCOM), Brigadier General William A. Hall, had a working meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the ARM, Lieutenant General Metodija Velichkovski.
Besides presenting the ARM activities in relation to the current migrant crisis, discussing the process of ARM transformation and the participation in international peace operations, at the meeting the mutual bilateral military cooperation was also reviewed.
General Velichkovski expressed his gratitude for the full military support the US has continually provided in strengthening the defense capacities and raising ARM readiness, through programs and initiatives for equipping, reinforcing interoperability, as well as the support given to ARM units when taking part in international military exercises.
Previously, during their visit of the military barracks “Strasho Pindzur’, the delegation was familiarized with the mission and tasks of the JOC and with the training activities, highlighting the recently completed military exercise “Anaconda-16” where the ARM participated with 157 members.
The ARM and the US have developed an intensive and constructive bilateral military cooperation, which for a period of more than 20 years has contributed to the process of integrating Republic of Macedonia into Euro-Atlantic structures.
