Skopje, 18 August 2024 (MIA) – The central ceremony to mark the Day of the Army - August 18 and the 32nd anniversary of its formation is taking place Sunday at the Water Training Center in Ohrid, with the attendance of top military and state officials.

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Defence Minister Vlado Misajlovski are to deliver addresses at the ceremony.

"During today’s central ceremony in Ohrid, marking August 18 – Army Day, the handover of duties from the outgoing Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski, to the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, will take place," the Ministry of Defence said.

The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, government ministers, members of Parliament, former defence ministers and chiefs of the General Staff, retired generals, distinguished guests from various institutions, the Vermont National Guard adjutant general Colonel Gregory Knight, the diplomatic corps in North Macedonia, and others.

Ahead of August 18 – Day of the Army, employees at the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Army held a traditional formal event Friday (August 16) which was addressed by the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski and Defence Minister Vlado Misajlovski.

As part of the events marking Day of the Army, Defence Minister Misajlovski, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Gjurchinovski, Major General Azim Nuredin and a delegation composed of representatives of the families of the fallen defenders laid flowers at the memorial to the fallen defenders in front of the building of the Defense Ministry.

On occasion of the Army Day, August 18, an Army artillery unit performed Saturday at 7pm an honorary 10-gun salute in Skopje-based Ilinden barracks.

On 18 August 1943, the Mirce Acev battalion was founded on Mount Slavej in the country’s south-west Macedonia, considered the first organized military formation in Macedonia in WWII.

Today, Macedonian Army together with the armies of 29 other countries is an integral part of the largest collective security system after North Macedonia has officially become NATO’s 30th member in March 2020.

North Macedonia ranks 11th according to NATO 2% defense spending target

North Macedonia's state budget for 2024 foresees USD 263 million on defense spending, or 2.22 percent of the GDP, according to the latest NATO report on defense expenditures.

NATO defines defense expenditure as payments made by a national government specifically to meet the needs of its armed forces, those of Allies or of the Alliance. A major component of defense expenditure, among others, is payments to other forces financed through the budgets of ministries other than the Ministry of Defense, as well as pension payments made directly by the government to retired military and civilian employees of military departments, peace and humanitarian operations, destruction of weapons, equipment, munition, research, and development.

North Macedonia largest percentage or 43.9 percent of defense expenditure is reserved for military personnel salaries, 29.3 percent for equipment procurement, research, and development, 23 percent for operations, maintenance, and other expenditures, and 3.8 percent for infrastructure. Most NATO members have a similar ratio of allocation of funds, with the exception of Portugal, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Belgium where over 50 percent of the expenditures are for military personnel; Poland, Hungary, Finland, and Luxembourg spend over 40 percent on equipment, research, and development; Sweden, the United States, and Denmark spend over 40 percent on operations and maintenance.

Between 2014 and 2024 period, the country saw an increase of 148.87 percent in defense spending from USD 106 million in 2014 to USD 263 million this year. In 2014, defense spending was 1.09 percent of the GDP, and now 2.22 percent. 

United States Permanent Representative to the Alliance, Ambassador Julian Smith expressed appreciation to North Macedonia for allocating two percent of its GDP to defense, in an interview with MIA.

"Here I really have to thank North Macedonia. This is a country that has taken some tough decisions to meet the commitment to spend two percent of GDP on its own national defense. North Macedonia is now above the threshold, above the two-percent mark and we applaud those efforts, but we applaud all of the countries that have done so," says Ambassador Smith.

She announces that a new report on burden-sharing that will be out probably next week will show that about two thirds of the alliance now spend over two percent of GDP on defense, "and that's important because it means that allies can meet their commitments across the Alliance".

Photo: MIA archive