New national security strategy
According to Minister Krsticevic, the new National Security Strategy and a new law regulating the national security system should be prepared by April 2017 and the documents are to be enacted by mid-2017.
This November, the Croatian government formed task forces to draw up a law on a homeland security system and to prepare a national security strategy, to be headed by Minister Krsticevic.
He said that the part of the government's platform concerning national security and defence read that Croatia needed a comprehensive, combined and proactive approach of all state institutions to reduce society's vulnerability and bring to life the concept of homeland security. The existing strategy of national security dates back to 2002 and is not in line with current internal and external circumstances, he said.
"There are new threats, as evidenced by the latest developments (arrests of members of Bosnian Croat forces). There are hybrid actions, information actions, terrorism, cyber terrorism, the refugee crisis, unemployment, demographic trends, natural disasters," said Krsticevic.
Higher defence budget
The state budget's funds for the defence sector will increase in 2017 to 1.23% of the country's Gross Domestic Product, after they were reduced for six years in a row.
Thus, the defence budget in 2017 will likely be by 9% higher than the funds allocated for this purpose in the revised budget in 2016.
Procurement of military helicopters
The 16 Kiowa Warrior military helicopters, procured as part of a project to equip the Croatian Armed Forces with reconnaissance and combat helicopters with support from the US government and military, were presented at the Croatian Air Force base in Zemunik in early December.
On that occasion, Croatian Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mirko Sunodov said the helicopters would strengthen the defence capabilities. "This is the first combat helicopter of Western manufacture in the Croatian Air Force. Thereby we are underlining our attempt to replace the entire military technology of Eastern manufacture with modern Western equipment."
A few days ago, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said in an interview with a daily newspaper that Croatia would likely buy a fighter squadron of Western manufacture as well as transport helicopters, most likely the US Black Hawks,
International missions and assistance in fighting wild fires in Israel
During 2016, Croatia's troops have participated in several NATO-and UN-led missions such as Resolute Support in Afghanistan, UNFIL in Lebanon, UNMOGIP in India and Pakistan, and MINURSO in the Western Sahara.
In late November, the Croatian government sent two Canadair CL-415 planes, part of Croatian Air Forces fleet, to help Israel put out wildfires.