From 3 to 5 October 2024, the Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Andrew M. Rohling, payed an official visit to Montenegro where he met with key Montenegrin military and political leaders. Lieutenant General Rohling also engaged with the "To Be Secure" Forum, organized by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro.
In Budva, Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Rohling, and the Montenegrin Chief of Defence, Brigadier General Zoran Lazarević, sat down to discuss the outcomes of the recent NATO Chiefs of Defence Conference in Prague. Lieutenant General Rohling also took the opportunity to thank Montenegro for its contributions to NATO's collective defence and the increased support for Ukraine.
Speaking with the Minister of Defence, Mr Dragan Krapovic, Lieutenant General Rohling stressed Montenegro's critical role in securing stability in the Western Balkans, "NATO praises Montenegro's contribution to Allied security through your continuous investment into modernization and standardization, which facilitates interoperability and interchangeability of Montenegrin Armed Forces within the Alliance", underscored Lieutenant General Rohling.
In separate meetings with the President, Mr Jakov Milatovic, and Prime Minister, Milojko Spajić, the Montenegrin political leadership announced that the country had edged-over the 2% mark of GDP investment in defence spending. Earlier this year, Montenegro had committed to meet this baseline until the end of 2024. Lieutenant General Rohling praised the increase in defence investment and reflected on the last 7 years of positive contributions by Montenegro to the Alliance, since their accession in 2017.
Before returning to Brussels, the Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee participated in an engagement at the "To Be Secure" Forum. The theme of this year's edition was: "World in Disorder: Turning Adversity into Opportunity". In his remarks, Lieutenant General Rohling Committee highlighted NATO's response to the fundamental changes of global security, while focusing on cooperation with Montenegro. "NATO is fully committed to Montenegro, which is a key part of the Alliance, and the strong leadership of Montenegro is important for the Alliance."
Highlighting practical examples of NATO-Montenegrin cooperation, Lieutenant General Rohling said "For the past two months, an element of Montenegro's forces trained in Germany. They were part of a larger American brigade, and they performed phenomenally during that exercise, and this is a means to demonstrate the readiness of Montenegro's armed forces in practice. Montenegro also contributes to missions in Iraq, Kosovo and NATO's Forward Land Forces."
Throughout the visit, the Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee was accompanied by the US Ambassador to Montenegro, Mrs. Judy Rising Reinke.
