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Vlasta Zekulic Croatian Army female officer trained Afghan military police
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10561/1/Vlasta-Zekulic-Croatian-Army-female-officer-trained-Afghan-military-police.html
By Darko Žubrinić
Published on 05/15/2014
 
  Croatian female military police officer Vlasta Zekulić, PhD in international relations and national security, trained Afghan military police, despite social taboos. In Croatia during her career, she commanded military police platoon and company, and as instructor trained Croatian officers for missions, and then in Afghanistan she trained Afghan military police students on military investigation and work of the provost marshals. She was not afraid of being discriminated against because she is a woman. She completed her education at the Croatian Defense Academy "Petar Zrinski" and at the prestigious Military Academy "The Citadel" in South Carolina in the USA.

Film about Vlasta Zekulić produced by NATO


Dr. Vlasta Zekulić, Croatian police officer and military police trainer.
Photo by Goran Mehkek / Cropix. Source.


Film produced by NATO.

 

Dr. Vlasta Zekulić
Photo by Goran Mehkek / Cropix. Source.

Croatian female military police officer Dr. Vlasta Zekulić earned her PhD in international relations and national security from the University of Zagreb, and completed the Police Academy in Croatia and the prestigious Military Academy "The Citadel" in Charleston in South Carolina in the USA. In Croatia during her career, she commanded military police platoon and  company, and as instructor trained Croatian officers for missions, and then in Afghanistan she trained Afghan military police, despite social taboos. Major Vlasta Zekulic trained Afghan military police students on military investigation and work of the provost marshals. She was not afraid of being discriminated against because she is a woman.



Dr. Vlasta Zekulić by the Croatian flag.
She was also educated at the Croatian Defense Academy "Petar Zrinski" (where she now commands cadet battalion and teaches)
and at the prestigious Military Academy "The Citadel" in South Carolina in the USA.


Lecture by Vlasta Zekulić, in Croatian, 0:45 - 27:07



Dr. Vlasta Zekulić with her Croatian colleague in Afghanistan.
All of their equipment has been made in Croatia: from dresses and boots to automatic guns.



Dr. Vlasta Zekulić with her Croatian and Canadian colleagues in Afghanistan.

Dr. Vlasta Zekulić in her office in Croatia's capital Zagreb.
An element of the official insignia that everybody knows is the Croatian Coat of Arms.



Oslobodilačka operacija Bljesak 1995 / Liberation Operation Flash 1995



Dr. Vlasta Zekulić, major of the Croatian Army

 
Predavanje koje je dr. Vlasta Zekulić održala na Tribini Grada Zagreba 9. svibnja 2014.

Dr. Vlasta Zekulić je govorila o ulozi i značaju Hrvatske u međunarodnim misijama i operacijama peace keeping i peace building i put koji smo prošli od korisnika (u Domovinskom Oslobodilačkom Ratu) i postali dionici (subjekti međunarodnih aktivnosti). Hrvatska je od 2009. članica NATO-a, ali već od 2003. sudjeluje u misijama.

U operacijama i misijama se pokazalo da Hrvatska ima poseban senzibilitet za razumijevanje konflikata, a Hrvati su posebno popularni kao mentori i instruktori, pri čemu je Zekulić navela primjer Afganistanai kroz osobno iskustvo sudjelovanja u dva kontigenta. Hrvatska vojska nastajala je u vrijeme Domovinskog rata, a nakon rata morala se preustrojiti u mirovnu vojsku, te ovo znanje i iskustvo hrvatski vojnici mogu uvjerljivo prenositi na druge. Zekulić je naglasila tri stvari koje karakteriziraju hrvatske vojnike:

  • govore strane jezike,
  • lako se prilagođavaju drugima situacijama te
  • imaju senzibilitet i razumijevanje za ratne situacije, krize i nemire što se posebno cijeni.

Posebno je istaknula da hrvatski vojnik posjeduje samostalni identitet i prepoznatljivost i kroz svoju opremu (100% hrvatska proizvodnja) ali i po svom odnosu prema lokalnom stanovništvu poštujući njihovu povijest, kulturu i razumijevajući situaciju konflikta kao naslijeđe prošlosti bez nadmoćnog zapadnjačkog pristupa. To se prepoznaje i cijeni i to je nova kvaliteta koja je proizašlo iz identiteta Domovinskog Oslobodilačkog Rata i naslijeđa i naše konfliktne prošlosti.

Izvor [PDF]


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