Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić has said that MP Zdravko Ponoš’s attacks and insults against Brigadier General Radivoje Anđelković, VMD, Head of the Military Health Department, Ministry of Defence, are proof that the former was never worthy of the position of Chief of General Staff or the title of a Serbian officer.

- Ponoš was appointed Chief of the General Staff, without ever having commanded a company, battalion, or brigade, let alone an operational unit. Fancy that! A man who was assigned to the highest position in our armed forces exclusively as a political appointee, despite all the rules and principles of the profession, without the necessary experience or good reputation among his colleagues, was brave enough to attack and belittle the work, knowledge, profession, and engagement of an honorable officer and a top expert such as General Anđelković, who has exclusively dealt with his profession throughout his career - emphasized Minister Gašić.

According to Minister Gašić, Ponoš was appointed the head of the armed forces to finish what NATO had started in 1999 and devoted himself entirely to the task.

- During the implementation of his famous "reform", Ponoš expelled a huge number of honorable and experienced officers from the military, who had been the backbone of the country's defence during the NATO aggression. Their knowledge and experience were a treasure trove that no chief of the general staff in the world would forsake. No one except Ponoš. He and his political comrades are behind the destruction of huge amounts of combat equipment that they first described as "having no prospects" and then turned into junk and sold for nothing. Undermining this country’s military power by reducing its personnel and destroying its materiel is his legacy – said Minister Gašić.

He says he cannot allow people like Ponoš to insult honorable officers who are engaged in nothing but their jobs and have no contact with politics.

- General Radivoje Anđelković is the head of the Military Health Department of the Ministry of Defence and a top veterinary expert. Throughout his career, he has done his work conscientiously and responsibly. Both in war and in peace. He was on the front lines of the Covid fight, he proved that he can lead and manage. I do not doubt that his professional expertise and great experience will greatly contribute to the efforts of the team formed by Minister Lončar - said Minister Gašić.

The head of the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Military Medical Academy, Lt. Col. Aleksandar Aleksić, MD, is part of Minister Lončar's team, and General Anđelković’s job is to make sure that all the capacities of the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces and the Military Medical Academy are made available for the fulfillment of this task, Minister Gašić said.