ZAGREB, December 11, 2019 – An international training centre of the Multinational Special Aviation Program (MSAP) was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Zemunik barracks near Zadar, and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said that MSAP centre could become a new NATO centre of excellence.
This confirms that Croatia is a trustworthy member of the alliance, the minister said at the ceremony.
“We are building new capabilities for the Croatian army, for Croatia and for NATO and what is more important, we are building the future together with our partners and allies,” Krstičević said.
He said he was proud of the fact that at Zemunik the best pilots would be trained to carry out special aviation forces’ operations, which, he added, was proof of the power and respectability of the Croatian Armed Forces.
The 11-million-euro centre will provide training for helicopter crews from Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovenia. The MSAP program is intended for multi-purpose helicopter crews for special air operations and consists of theoretical and multi-week flight training programmes for the implementation of unconventional special air force tasks.
The Croatian Armed Forces chief-of-staff, General Mirko Šundov, said that the establishment of the MSAP created prerequisites for conducting training in complex and diversified conditions, which would enable the achievement of the goals defined for each of the countries-contributors to MSAP.
NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment, Camille Grand, said that the development of capabilities of special air forces showed NATO’s ability to develop new capabilities.
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