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Ceremony marking the departure of SVNKON 22 KFOR

On Tuesday, 17 August, a ceremony took place at the Celje Military Post marking the departure of the 22nd Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) Contingent to a six-month mission to international operation KFOR.

The contingent, which includes 330 servicemembers from different SAF units and which will assume its tasks in Kosovo at the end of this month, was addressed by Commander, Force Command, Brigadier Branimir Furlan. In his speech, Brigadier Furlan appealed to the troops to always trust their good competency, their commanders and their experiences. Despite a lesser risk and reducing presence of international forces in Kosovo, their responsibility in the area will be substantial. Engagement in a larger part of Kosovo requires more movements and thereby larger presence in traffic. However, stressed Brigadier Furlan, it would be a foolish thing to lose a life in traffic due to an incorrect or superficial action. Later, Brigadier Furlan reminded the troops of their mission in Kosovo, namely that the local population wishes the same thing as we do – a secure environment for themselves and their families, economic development, a possibility to realise their personal goals, and financial security.

The KFOR force is entering the next phase of operation, the so-called “deterrent presence”, which implies transformation of commands and gradual reduction of the force. The tasks of the Slovenian Contingent remain unchanged and include the provision of secure environment and freedom of movement as well as creation of conditions for the transfer of responsibility to civilian authorities. The majority of the 22nd SAF Contingent in KFOR is composed of two manoeuvre companies with a logistic element. In addition, the Contingent also includes members of the voluntary contracted reserve, three liaison and monitoring teams, a military police platoon, an engineer squad and a National Support Element. Some of the troops will perform duties at the KFOR Command in Priština and at the Regional Command, Multinational Battle Group-West in Peć. SAF members will operate in the municipalities of Peć, Novo selo, Klina, Vučitrn and Priština.

Photo: Emil Jalovec, SAF General Staff