14 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that France had expressed readiness to help Croatia to control its airspace and that their early warning and control aircraft had already flown over Croatian skies.

The Croatian premier added that that talks were being held with the US to see how they could help Zagreb.

After a meeting of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Presidency and National Council, the prime minister said that the unmanned aerial vehicle that had crashed in Zagreb on Thursday night carried explosive, a sort of bomb, and that the ongoing investigation was aimed at establishing who had launched the drone and how, and if it had been a mistake, sabotage or plan.

He pointed out that he had already spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday and that they had expressed readiness to let French aircraft help Croatia to control its airspace. After that, a Hawkeye E2C patrol aircraft flew over the Croatian airspace on 12 March, and it would do it again tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I will visit the aircraft carrier located in the Adriatic near Dubrovnik, the premier said.

We are also in talks with the US to see how they can help us in the case of such unforeseen circumstances, he added.

PM Plenković said he would continue with intensive communication within NATO with regard to the crash of the UAV. We are talking about it with partners in the EU. On Wednesday, I will visit NATO headquarters in Spain and try to gather additional information on how the aerial vehicle ended up in Croatia.

He also recalled that he spoke with the military leadership today about the possibilities for strengthening the air defence.

Earlier today, PM Andrej Plenković said on Twitter that he had spoken with Defence Minister Mario Banožić, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Admiral Robert Hranj, and commanders of branches of the Armed Forces about investments in strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces.

Before that, he held a meeting with members of the government and relevant institutions about the facts established so far about the crash of the military aerial vehicle in Zagreb.

ZAGREB, 11 March (2022) - Croatia will send up to 70 troops to Hungary as part of NATO's Enhanced Vigilance, parliament decided by majority vote on Friday.

One MP voted against and 118 for the decision to send troops to Hungary, where they can be deployed this year and the next, with the possibility of rotation.

The decision was tabled by the government whose representative, Defence Ministry state secretary Zdravko Jakop, told MPs that Russia's invasion of Ukraine represented one of the most serious threats to European security in decades.

"The attack on an independent, peace-loving, democratic state is a bitter reminder that freedom, peace, security and stability can't exist if we are not ready to defend them," he said.

Jakop said NATO enhanced its rapid response force in recent months, deploying additional forces on its eastern flank, reinforcing forces in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and organising new battle groups in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.

HRK 38 million has been set aside in the state budget to send Croatian troops to Hungary.

Currently, 181 Croatian troops are deployed in UN and NATO missions, the most, 141, in Kosovo.

Also today, parliament unanimously voted for the participation of five Croatian troops in the EU's Cyber Rapid Response Teams and Mutual Assistance in Cyber Security.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, December 10, 2019 - Croatian arms, ammunition and military equipment factories showcased their products at a presentation in Sarajevo on Tuesday intended for potential buyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and foreign diplomats accredited in that country.

Croatian assistant defence minister Roman Mikulić said that the Croatian defence production had reached about €200 million annually and that it employed about 3,000 people. He expressed satisfaction that the HS Produkt company was successful on demanding markets such as the United States where more than 5 million HS semi-automatic pistols have been sold to date.

"I can proudly say that our companies have become global bywords for innovation and quality. The Croatian defence industry still has a lot of room for advancement and development," Mikulić said during the presentation, organised in cooperation with the Defence Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said that Bosnian companies such as Igman, Pretis and Pobjeda had for years been manufacturing infantry and artillery ammunition for the Croatian army. To date, Croatia has imported 68 million kuna (9.2 million euro) worth of ammunition manufactured by these factories, and over 11 million kuna (1.5 million euro) this year alone.

Croatia's ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan Sabolić, said that the Croatian defence industry was one of the drivers of the national economy.

"Croatian defence industry products are already used by the IT sector and the food and pharmaceutical industries. This exhibition is a good opportunity for defence companies from the Federation and Republika Srpska and their colleagues from Croatia to find models for even better business results," Sabolić said.

More news about relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, October 27, 2018 - Sending Croatian troops on nine international missions led by the UN, NATO and EU received support in parliament on Friday from the ruling majority and the opposition with the exception of the Živi Zid party, which supports the participation of Croatian troops only in UN missions.

Lawmakers debated the participation of Croatian troops in the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and the EU-led EUNAVFOR Med Sophia mission. Also discussed was Croatian troops' involvement in NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland, in the KFOR mission in Kosovo, the NATO mission in Iraq, the EU NAVFOR Somalia Atalanta peace mission, and UN sponsored peace missions.

A maximum of 366 Croatian troops will be involved in these missions in 2019 and the Defence Ministry has allocated 124 million kuna for this purpose, State Secretary Tomislav Ivić said.

MP Branimir Bunjac (Živi Zid) objected to Croatia sending its soldiers around the globe while on the other hand it is not providing for its citizens. "Aside from supporting the puppet government in Afghanistan that sells drugs, what use do we have from sending our soldiers to the Russian border? What does Croatia's army have to do in Iraq?" Bunjac asked and added that the Živi Zid supports only those missions sponsored by the United Nations.

"It is dangerous to claim that Croatia will be better off and safer if it is left without allies," MP Davor Ivo Stier (HDZ) told Živi Zid MPs. "At the time of the Great Serbia aggression, we had to arm ourselves and were on our own and without allies," Stier said and underscored that Croatia must never again allow itself to be without allies. "That is why we need defence allies, so that no-one ever again considers attacking Croatia, that's the advantage of NATO membership," Stier said.

MP Anđelko Stričak (HDZ) underscored that the said missions were designed to help establish peace and reduce instability and should therefore be supported.

SDP MP Franko Vidović too voiced his support for deploying Croatian troops to serve in peace missions abroad.

For more on Živi Zid and Croatian politics, follow the TCN Politics page.

ZAGREB, May 18, 2018 - Croatia has excellent military products and an excellent promoter of those products, the Croatian army, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said in Bucharest on Friday where he was visiting a military fair.

ZAGREB, May 10 ,2018 - The government on Thursday entrusted the Agriculture Ministry with the purchase of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the needs of that ministry and the ministry of defence, and the purchase is to cost up to five million euro.

ZAGREB, March 22 , 2018 - The Centre for Peace Studies (CMS) on Thursday called on lawmakers not to adopt the proposed amendments to the defence law and the law on military service, claiming that the amendments would constitute "a dangerous precedent" of introducing a new form of conscription through the term "military training".

The primary element of the exercise was the navy.

Number of opponents of possible reintroduction of compulsory military service is growing.

Young Croats would be forced to spend between 30 and 60 days in military training during summer months.