The Albanian Armed Forces will face emergency situations supported by an additional force, the Reserve Force, composed of former experienced military personnel willing to cope with even more difficult tasks.
To channelling this significant force in order to face these situations, today in Vlora has been opened the Mobilization Office of the Reserve Force, which will serve for the mobilization of reservists in case of state of emergency and in the future it can also be used for the recruitment process. The office will be managed by the former military and will serve as a communication center with the military reserve community.
The mobilization center will serve in the recovering of the reservists and to show that they are still professionally, physically and mentally able to give to the society.
The Defence Minister Mrs. Mimi Kodheli stated that the reservists should be more active whenever society will need them. Mrs. Kodheli emphasized that “there is no better case than in difficult moments such as civil emergencies, where with your presence you can also mobilize the other members that you represent”. Defence Minister has underlined that due to Albania's exposure to natural phenomena as a Mediterranean country but also because of the damage that we have done to nature over the years, emergency situations are evident and your contribution is valuable.
“We will expand the opportunity of assisting the AAF through your contribution in such situations, as I believe that reserve forces, forces of all those that you represent as former servicemen, will be at the vanguard of the volunteers, a spirit that should convey Albanian society often forgotten whenever society and Albanians have this need", said Mrs. Kodheli.
Defence Minister said that all former servicemen remain an active force, even more responsible for society because they have served it in uniform and she hopes that they will also serve it out of uniform.
“The fact that we will reorganize the whole structure of AAF in regard to the service and the support in cases of emergencies and the whole civil – military activity for which AAF are also constitutionally obligated to provide this assistance, leads us to highlight the need of expanding the number of our representation whenever it is required, or society requires. I know that the reservist forces in Vlora region are tens of thousands", said Mrs. Kodheli. The Minister highlighted that "we will have this set up although on a voluntary basis, set on the basis of restructuring therefore the contact points, the names, and the people who will be called, the way how we will organize ourselves, the way we will be part of command, despite the fact you already are civilians".
Mrs. Kodheli underlined the fact that the Mobilization Office will serve as a point of communication between former-servicemen "as an environment where you can sit together, share your problems, and certainly, transmit your needs, or the demands that you have towards the Minister of Defence, Chief of General Staff, and why not, to the Government in general".
Minister Kodheli has appraised the direct communication and the strong commitment in establishing the Office of Mobilization in such a short time, facilities which will be in function of turning it into a functional center that dignifies the Reserve Force and all persons that will join together to meet those needs whenever it is presented as an option.
The ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Mrs. Kodheli, Deputy Defence Minister Mr. Petro Koçi, Chief of General Staff Major General Jeronim Bazo, senior officers and former military personnel.
