“As the first Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of BiH, General Podzic oversaw the transformation of the old entity armies into a professional, NATO-compatible single military force in line with 21st century needs,” said Principal Deputy High Representative Raffi Gregorian today. “During his tenure the AFBiH became a successful contributor to international security missions, helped BiH join NATO’s Partnership for Peace in 2006, and gain ‘Intensified Dialogue’ status this year.”
PDHR Gregorian was paying tribute to Lieutenant General Sifet Podzic’s achievements upon completion of his mandate as Chief of the Joint Staff in accordance with the BiH Law on Service in the Armed Forces, and in line with the decision of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As Chief of the Joint Staff, General Podzic served as the military advisor to the 2005 Defence Reform Commission co-chaired by Dr. Gregorian and the first BiH Minister of Defence, Nikola Radovanovic.
General Miladin Milojcic replaces Podzic as Chief of the Joint Staff, having previously served as Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff for Resources. “General Milojcic has been an esteemed colleague and friend since our time working on Defence Reform in 2005-06. I know he will do a terrific job as the new Chief of the Joint Staff, during which time I expect BiH to attain a NATO Membership Action Plan,” said Gregorian.