Stephen Wordsworth

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Monday 01 June, 2009

On 26 May I was invited to the Pasuljanske Livade training ground, where officer cadets of the Military Academy performed a military exercise, called “Diplomac 2009” - a sort of demonstration of all they had learned. There were two parts to the exercise, the first a display of more traditional 'war-fighting' activity, with planes, helicopters and tanks blasting away at distant targets, the second a demonstration of 'peace-keeping' skills, with the cadets wearing blue helmets and UN flags flying.

I found the second part more fun to watch, as the soldiers showed how they would search cars at a check point (we were asked to note how, at a UN checkpoint, the soldiers actually in close contact with civilians are always unarmed), and then checked individual civilians passing through on foot. During the latter search, the soldiers 'discovered' that one man they were checking was carrying a concealed pistol, so he was led away for questioning, while his girlfriend followed behind, protesting vociferously (and in English) 'Let him go, he is my brother'! Let him go!', etc. He was detained, but she was let go, and (predictably enough) she returned soon afterwards with 'angry villagers' who began attacking the checkpoint, pelting the soldiers with oranges (safer than rocks, for exercise purposes) and starting a small fire. The soldiers remained calm, eventually some 'tear gas' (yellow smoke) was deployed, and the 'villagers' retreated. At which point an even angrier 'villager' turned up and began firing at the checkpoint with a Kalashnikov, to which the soldiers - now allowed by their rules of engagement to use lethal force, in self-defence - responded.

In all, it was a good show. At the end President Tadic announced that Serbia plans to deploy a further group of soldiers to a UN mission in Chad, so the training should come in useful. I wish them every success.