Amendments to the Law on the Army of Serbia

Aleksandar Radic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Op-ed by Aleksandar Radic, Military Analyst

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The focus of media interest regarding new amendments to the Law on the Army of Serbia was the clause prescribing that the army chief-of-staff acts upon decisions of the President of the Republic. The new provision actually formalizes a relationship that exists already, but has been applied informally, through verbal orders. The Ministry of Defense has never tried to conceal that fact – on multiple occasions, reports about preparations for a military exercise, parades, or another military activity, would start with the words “the President had decided.”