Professional paper
Considerations regarding the necessity to develop the Croatian Armed Forces’ capability to conduct mountain area operations
Robert Šubat
orcid.org/0000-0001-6475-0888
Stipo Semren
Abstract
Security is the obligation of the state toward its citizens, and part of security is the defense for which the Armed Forces develop and improve their capabilities. A significant increase in the popularity of mountain warfare reveals the potential lack of capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia related to the conduct of operations in mountainous areas. Although the geographical analysis shows that the share of mountainous areas in the total area of the Republic of Croatia is 21%, which does not make it a mountainous country, due to further strategic implications, recent events in the region and the experience of the Croatian Homeland War, capability for conducting operations in mountainous area may be more needed than in countries with a nominally higher percentage of mountainous area. To solve the defined problem, three possibilities are proposed, the opening of a school of mountain warfare, the organization of a light infantry battalion and the organization of a mountain infantry battalion, with possible results shown. In the end, it is clear that such a move would give great importance to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, as a modern and professional organization ready to act both in the context of its own state and in the regional and international context.
Keywords
Mountainous Area, Capability, Operations in Mountainous area, Mountain Warfare, Mountain Infantry.
Hrčak ID:
269548
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2021.
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