Croatia Appreciates Defence Support From United States, Defence Minister Says
ZAGREB, 1 Aug, 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić said on Sunday that the defence cooperation between Croatia and the United States has been going on for many years and that Croatia very much appreciates the support and donations form the US government for the development of Croatia's defence capabilities.
Banožić and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Admiral Robert Hranj, were attending a formal reception on board the command ship of the US Sixth Fleet , USS Mount Whitney, which had arrived in Split on Friday for a visit.
Banožić said that the ship's visit was of exceptional strategic importance for Croatia, noting that the United States was Croatia's most important strategic ally in defence.
"The defence cooperation between Croatia and the United States has been going on for many years, and Croatia is very grateful for the support and donations from the US government for the development of our defence capabilities. Joint training and participation in exercises and operations strengthen our operational readiness and interoperability," the defence minister said.
"The Croatian military is fully committed to strengthening stability and security and further promoting our defence cooperation," he added.
Banožić was presented with a plaque by Vice Admiral Gene Black, Commander of the Sixth Fleet.
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Croatia Will Get a New University, It Will Be Named After Tudjman
September 10, 2020 - As reported by Index.hr, in the first parliamentary reading, the Government said that Croatia would get a new university, the University of Defense and Security 'Dr. Franjo Tudjman', to perform activities of higher education, scientific, professional, and other activities for the needs of the defense system and the homeland security system.
According to the bill, which was sent to the Parliament from the Government session on Thursday, the Croatian Military Academy 'Dr. Franjo Tudjman' becomes a University to which already established study programs and accredited university studies in Zagreb and Split will be transferred, will conduct a postgraduate university specialist study of homeland security, and the Ministry of Defense will perform the rights and duties of the founders.
Minister of Defense Mario Banožić pointed out that the transformation to a university 'Dr. Franjo Tudjman' is of special state interest, and the law provides key conditions for the development of the Croatian Army's capabilities and military skills as a science.
'The University will enable the development of scientific and teaching staff for the interdisciplinary field of science in the field of military-defense and security-intelligence sciences and skills, and will be able to apply for EU funds, which has not been possible so far' he stressed.
We must strive for the highest quality education system and thus contribute to the development of the Croatian Army by creating a staff that will gain all the necessary breadth for quality leadership and management to execute tasks, the minister added.
'The university will enable a stronger affirmation of the Croatian Army on the international scene,' he pointed out.
The university will be organized like other public universities in Croatia. It will also have certain specifics, and the law in the field of defense will be applied to it while respecting the constitutional provision on university autonomy.
Poor placement of Croatian universities in the world
Croatian universities are not doing well in the world rankings.
Times Higher Education published a ranking of the best universities for 2021, according to which the University of Oxford is again the best in the world, while the University of Split is in the 801-1000 position and the University of Zagreb in the 1001+ position.
The ranking includes more than 1,500 universities from 93 countries, the highest so far. The list is based on 13 performance indicators in four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and an international perspective.
Compared to the list for 2020, the University of Split has fallen on the list. At that time, it had a position of 601–800, and now it is in the position of 801–1000. Nevertheless, the University of Split is the best positioned Croatian university. The University of Zagreb remained in the same position, below the top 1,000.
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