General information: 

The defence cooperation between Serbia and Denmark was established in 2004 with the signing of a “Letter of Intent”. In 2006 the first formalised cooperation programme between Denmark and Serbia was signed, which has continued since then. In recent years Serbia was Denmark’s biggest cooperation partner in Europe outside NATO.

The cooperation projects primarily aimed at supporting reforms, capacity building and regional cooperation. Main areas of cooperation besides bilateral talks and meetings were the PRISMA project (discharged military personnel), Search and Rescue, English language training, safe storage of ammunition and ordnance disposal, the CBRN center in Krusevac and civil emergency planning. 

Training of Serbian personnel:  

Denmark financially supported training in various areas including a number of Serbian students' participation in activities outside Serbia such as courses at Peace Support Operations Centre in Sarajevo, Baltic Defence College in Tartuu, Estonia, and Nordic Peacekeeping courses in Denmark.

Cooperation between the Air Forces:

The cooperation was intensive and included activities to create a regional SAR structure in the Balkans, including the establishment of a 24-7 helicopter emergency service in Serbia. Regionally, SAR agreements have been initiated, where the authorities share resources and information in order to optimize the chances for search and rescue in the region. At the same time, FTK completed a number of activities in order to improve the military air operation structure in Serbia, and FTK was a key factor in the establishment of the Serbian safety structure. Under Danish influence, Serbia joined the global COSPAS-SARSAT organization, and Denmark supported with a mentor in order to make Serbia able to meet membership requirements. Over the years, Denmark donated 14 fuel trucks and other equipment to the Serbian Air Force, as well as a very large amount of tools. Finally, the two Air Forces participated in each other's Air Shows.

Military Logistics:

Serbia undertook the hosting of “LOGEX15”, in the spring of 2015. In 2014, Serbia hosted four training sessions. Denmark provided IT equipment and training. Students from across the Western Balkans and Sweden and other non-NATO countries participated in the preparatory educations and the LOGEX15. The exercise was carried out in 2015.

Cooperation between the military forces:

Besides CIMIC and MP courses, the cooperation included courses, exchange visits around C2 in land operations, and highly qualified training of Danish officers at the CBRN center in Krusevac.

Defence reforms:

Denmark supported reforms through PRISMA (retraining of former soldiers). In addition, Denmark supported English language teaching together with other countries, and through OSCE / UNDP also the weapon destruction programs in Serbia (white phosphorus).

IT support:

Denmark had a comprehensive support program in relation to the implementation of IT systems in the higher staffs as well as using IT for psychology test in recruitment and selection of staff. Furthermore Denmark supported building up an HR structure and assisted with IT equipment for the establishment of multimedia classrooms. Denmark also supported with an electronic archive system.

The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA):

DEMA had a strong commitment to the implementation of ARGOS (as in the other Balkan countries) and 112 call centers. In addition, there was exchange of knowledge and experience, including the organizing of seminars on Risk Assessment – at local level.

2014 floods response:

During the floods in May 2014 the Danish Ministry of Defence also provided support. The Danish Emergency Management Agency sent 26 volunteers, 12 vehicles and two pump modules to Serbia to assist Serbia in its fight against the floods.