US Ambassador Michael Murphy sent a message on the occasion of the BiH Armed Forces Day.
"Since its formation, the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina have served with dignity and at the highest level in the country and abroad. Their contribution to UN peacekeeping missions throughout Africa further strengthened their reputation as a professional army capable of functioning in complex situations.
The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina represent the best of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are a patriotic, multi-ethnic team of volunteers who, despite some trying to undermine the institution, excel at every task they are given.
The United States has a strong relationship with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For more than ten years, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the US Army fought and bled together on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are a close partner of the NATO alliance and contribute to the NATO mission through the Partnership for Peace program.
With that in mind, I congratulate the members of the Light Infantry Battalion Group for the excellence they demonstrated during NATO Assessment - Level 2, becoming a qualified unit within the NATO Partnership for Peace force.
The United States is proud to have contributed to the development of the Light Infantry Battalion Group by providing eleven and a half million dollars worth of training and equipment support, all of which has increased the level of combat readiness of this unit.
The US partnership with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is as solid as a rock, as it has been developed for years through close cooperation.
Since 2003, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been maintaining a strong army-to-army relationship with the Maryland National Guard through the State Partnership Program.
American cooperation with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina also takes place through US security assistance programs.
Recently awarded grants include the purchase of four Huey II helicopters, 86 Humvees, and the equipping of a Battalion Group, totaling over sixty million dollars.
The United States regularly invests in the professional military education of members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sending approximately twenty-five members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina to various military institutions throughout the United States each year.
Since the founding of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States has been their number one partner.
There is no other country that cares more about Bosnia and Herzegovina and supporting the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina than the USA, which we are proud of.
I am happy to announce today that this year the USA is giving an additional seventeen million dollars to support the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
These additional funds include five million dollars for cyber security infrastructure and training for the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This will help build the capacity and resilience of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of BiH in defense against malicious attacks on their IT networks.
The United States will also continue to invest in the development of the aviation capabilities of the BiH Armed Forces.
This year we are allocating twelve million dollars for the purchase of advanced helicopter simulators.
We are also investing an additional twenty-three million dollars in new Huey II helicopters with the aim of further modernizing the helicopter fleet of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These investments are proof of the continued commitment of the USA to the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Through decades of combat deployment, training, and cooperation, the United States has been Bosnia and Herzegovina's strongest and most consistent security partner.
People in this country can count on the United States to remain committed to our partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina, whether it is to combat political instability in BiH or the acute threat posed by malicious actors outside of BiH."
