Damir Krstičević (Croatian pronunciation: [dȁmīr kȑstičević]; born 1 July 1969) is a Croatian general and politician who served as the Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister from 2016 until his resignation in May 2020, which he tendered due to the deaths of two Croatian military pilots in an aircraft accident.
Damir Krstičević | |
|---|---|
 Krstičević in September 2011 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia | |
| In office 19 October 2016 – 8 May 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Božo Petrov |
| Succeeded by | Tomo Medved |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 19 October 2016 – 8 May 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Josip Buljević |
| Succeeded by | Mario Banožić |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 July 1969 Vrgorac, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | Croatian Democratic Union |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Croatia |
| Branch/service | Croatian Army |
| Rank | Major general |
| Commands | 4th Guards Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Croatian War of Independence |
Biography
editKrstičević was born on July 1, 1969, in Vrgorac, Split-Dalmatia County in SFR Yugoslavia. Since his childhood, he knew he wanted to be a soldier.[citation needed] He finished military high school in Sarajevo. Upon graduating from the Military Academy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia broke up. He joined the Croatian National Guard in the summer of 1991.[1] He was assigned to the 4th Guards Brigade, where he eventually rose to the position of the brigade's commander.
After the war, in 1997, he was sent to continue his education at United States Army War College, and finished with excellent grades.[2]
In 2000, he was one of the signatories of the Twelve Generals' Letter, which resulted in Krstičević's retiring by then Croatian president Stjepan Mesić.[3] He then worked as a manager, ceo, procurator and member of the supervisory board in computer software developing companies M SAN and King ICT.[4]
In 2007, he survived a helicopter crash in Vukovar, which damaged his spine.[5]
After HDZ won the Croatian parliamentary elections in 2016 and Andrej Plenković became the new Croatian Prime Minister, Krstičević was assigned to the position of Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.[6]
In 2016, Bosnian Serb officials filed a criminal complaint, alleging that Krstičević and other high-ranking Croatian officials were responsible for war crimes during the Bosnian War offensive Operation Mistral 2. Bosnian authorities were also investigating Krstičević for crimes during the operation that included the massacre of 32 Serb civilians. Krstičević denied the allegations, stating that his unit was not present there.[7][8]
In January 2018, he was inducted into the U.S. Army War College Hall of Fame.[9]
In 2018, he drew criticism for praising Operation Medak Pocket saying it was "something to be proud of" despite the fact that Serb civilians were unlawfully killed, in addition he faced heavy criticism for legitimizing the presence of convicted war criminal Mirko Norac at an anniversary 'commemorating' the attack.[10]
In May 2020, he resigned from his post as Defence Minister after the deaths of two Croatian military pilots in an aircraft accident.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Damir Krstičević: Zabranili su mi da budem vojnik, ono jedino što sam u životu želio biti" (in Croatian). Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Krstičević odgovorio na optužbe o plagiranju: Ponosan sam do boli, bio je to običan seminarski rad". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Damir Krstičević: Zabranili su mi da budem vojnik, ono jedino što sam u životu želio biti" (in Croatian). Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Evo koliko je težak Damir Krstičević". tportal.hr. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Krstičević: Za sekundu smo bili na tlu. Još osjećam posljedice" [Krstičević: In a second, we were on the ground. I still feel the effects.] (in Croatian). Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "RADI SE O STRUČNOM TIMU Ovo su ministri u Vladi Andreja Plenkovića". Dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Croatian deputy PM "suspect in killing of Serb civilians"". B92. 22 November 2016.
- ^ Milekic, Sven (11 November 2016). "Croatian Defence Minister Denies Bosnia War Crimes". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Ćosić, Mirko. "Minister Krstičević inducted War College Hall of Fame - Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia". www.morh.hr. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ "Croatian War Criminal's Memorial Appearance Condemned". Balkan Insight. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
- ^ "Croatia Defense Minister Resigns Over Military Plane Crash". voanews.com. Voice of America. 8 May 2020.
External links
edit- CV on the Ministry of Defence website (accessed 12 December 2016)