Serbian Army

Serbian Army
Serbian Army
Копнена војска Србије; Kopnena vojska Srbije
	Emblem of the Serbian Army
Active	2006–present
Country	Serbia
Type	Army
Size	43,250 (2015)
Command HQ	Niš
Anniversaries	November 16
Engagements	List Serbian Revolution; Serbian-Ottoman War (1876–78); Serbo-Bulgarian War; Balkan Wars; World War I; ;
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant general Milosav Simović

The Serbian Army ([Копнена Војска / Kopnena Vojska, lit. Land Army] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is the land-based component of the Serbian Armed Forces, responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia from foreign hostiles; participating in peacekeeping operations; and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Originally established in 1838, the Serbian army was incorporated into the newly established state of Yugoslavia in 1918. The current Serbian army has been active since 2006 when Serbia restored its independence.

History

Current status

The Serbian Army is the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. There are approximately 13,250 active members.^[1] The army is composed entirely of professionals and volunteers following the suspension of mandatory military service on January 1, 2011.

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th army brigades are tasked with securing the 5 km (2.5 mi) wide Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) along the administrative line between Central Serbia and the disputed territory of Kosovo^[a]. The GSZ extends 384 kilometres long and covers a total area of about 1,920 square kilometres. There are over 20 camps and security checkpoints in the zone.^[2]

There are plans to increase the Serbian army's involvement in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations abroad.^[3]^[4]

Formations and structure

Following the 2006 reorganization, the Serbian Army consists of six primary brigades. The four army brigades are larger than a conventional modern brigade, their size is more akin to a division.^{[citation needed]} Each army brigade consists of ten battalions: one command battalion, one armored battalion, two mechanized battalions, two infantry battalions, one self-propelled artillery battalion, one air defense battalion, one engineering battalion and one logistics battalion. The only exception is the 1st army brigade, being one infantry battalion short.

Serbian Army - major combat units
green pin - army brigades, red pin - special brigade

Army Command (Niš)
- 3rd Military Police Battalion (Niš)
- 5th Military Police Battalion (Belgrade)
- 246th NBC Battalion (Kruševac)
- 21st Signal Battalion (Niš)

1st Brigade (Novi Sad)
- 10th Command Battalion
- 11th Infantry Battalion
- 12th Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion
- 13th Self-Propelled Missile Launcher Artillery Battalion
- 14th Air Defense Artillery Battalion
- 15th Tank battalion
- 16th Mechanized Battalion
- 17th Mechanized Battalion
- 18th Engineer Battalion
- 19th Logistic Battalion
2nd Brigade (Kraljevo)
- 20th Command Battalion
- 21st Infantry Battalion
- 22nd Infantry Battalion
- 23rd Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion
- 24th Self-Propelled Missile Launcher Artillery Battalion
- 25th Air Defense Artillery Battalion
- 26th Tank Battalion
- 27th Mechanized Battalion
- 28th Mechanized Battalion
- 29th Logistic Battalion
- 210th Engineer Battalion
3rd Brigade (Niš)
- 30th Command Battalion
- 31st Infantry Battalion
- 32nd Infantry Battalion
- 33rd Self-Propelled Howitzer Artillery Battalion
- 34th Multiple Rocket Launcher Battalion
- 35th Air Defense Artillery Battalion
- 36th Tank Battalion
- 37th Mechanized Battalion
- 38th Mechanized Battalion
- 39th Logistic Battalion
- 310th Engineer Battalion
4th Brigade (Vranje)
- 40th Command Battalion
- 41st Infantry Battalion
- 42nd Infantry Battalion
- 43rd Self-Propelled Howitzer Artillery Battalion
- 44th Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher Battalion
- 45th Air Defense Artillery Rocket Battalion
- 46th Tank Battalion
- 47th Mechanized Battalion
- 48th Mechanized Battalion
- 49th Logistic Battalion
- 410th Engineer Battalion
Mixed Artillery Brigade (Niš)
- Command Battalion
- Mixed Missile Artillery Battalion
- 1st Howitzer-Cannon Artillery Battalion
- 2nd Howitzer-Cannon Artillery Battalion
- 3rd Cannon Artillery Battalion
- 4th Cannon Artillery Battalion
- 69th Logistics Battalion
River Flotilla (Novi Sad)
- Command Company
- 1st River Detachment
- 2nd River Detachment
- 1st Pontoon Battalion
- 2nd Pontoon Battalion
- Logistic Company
Special Brigade (Pančevo)
- Command Battalion
- Logistics Battalion
- Military Police / Counter-terrorist Battalion
- Military Police Battalion Cobra
- 63rd Parachute Battalion
- 72nd Reconnaissance-Commando Battalion