View source for Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces

{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                   = Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces
| native_name                 = Гарда Војске Србије
| image                       = Serbian Armed Forces (emblem of Serbian guard-Gvardija).gif
| image_size                  = 160px
| caption                     =
| dates                       = 1830–present
| country                     = {{flag|Kingdom of Serbia}} (1830–1918)<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} (1918–1941)<br />{{flag|Republic of Serbia}} (2006–present)
| allegiance                  =
| branch                      = [[File:Generalštab VS.gif|25px]] [[Serbian General Staff]]
| type                        = [[Guard of honour|Honor Guard]]<br />[[Security]]
| size                        =
| command_structure           = [[File:Emblem of the Serbian Armed Forces.svg|18px]] [[Serbian Armed Forces]]
| garrison                    = [[Topčider]] ([[Belgrade]])
| garrison_label              =
| march                       = Guard March (''Gardijski marš'')
| anniversaries               = 6 May
| battles                     = {{Tree list}}
* [[World War I]]
* [[Croatian War of Independence]]
** [[Battle of Vukovar]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| commander1                  = [[Brigadier general|Brigadier General]] Željko Furundžić
| commander1_label            =
| commander2                  =
| commander2_label            =
| commander3                  =
| commander3_label            =
| identification_symbol       = [[File:SerbianGFlag.jpg|200px]]
| identification_symbol_label = Flag
}}
The '''Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces''' ({{langx|sr|Гарда Војске Србије|Garda Vojske Srbije}}) is an [[Guard of honour|honour guard]] unit of the [[Serbian Armed Forces]] under the direct command of the [[Serbian General Staff|General Staff]]. Besides ceremonial duties its main tasks include security and logistics missions.
== History ==
The Guard was formed on 6 May 1830, as part of the [[Armed Forces of the Principality of Serbia]], by the order of Prince [[Miloš Obrenović, Prince of Serbia|Miloš Obrenović]]. It originated with 73 people selected for service in the Guard. On May 12, 1838, the Guard gained legal status from a special decree of Prince Miloš. In 1883, the Guard was transformed into the Royal Guard. The Royal Serbian Guard was considered to be an elite unit of the [[Royal Serbian Army]] and only the best conscripts were chosen to serve in its ranks. In 1914 the Royal Guard numbered a few thousand men and took part in all major battles of the [[Balkans theatre]] of [[World War I]] (until the [[Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro (1918)|liberation in 1918]]).
The Royal Guard was commanded by [[Lieutenant colonel (Eastern Europe)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Nikola Kalabić]] during [[World War II]] and saw service against both [[Axis powers]], their collaborators and the [[Yugoslav Partisans]]. On the other side, at the end of the war, by the decision of the [[Josip Broz Tito]] on November 1, 1944, the Guards Brigade of the [[Supreme Headquarters (Yugoslav Partisans)|Supreme Headquarters]] of the People's Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia was formed on the basis of the royalist formation. It was bigger than the old formation, and was a motorized force at first. In May 1945, the Guards Brigade's band was raised, then composed of 77 musicians. The first military honor was given to [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|British Field Marshal]] [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Harold Alexander]], Commander of the [[Allied Force Headquarters]] for the [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Mediterranean]]. The following year, in 1946, the Guards Brigade grew into the rank of a division, and in March 1948, the Guards Division formed the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] Guard Command, which was in the rank of an [[Military district|army district]]. Later, it was reconfigured to brigade status and renamed to 1st Guards Mechanised Brigade.
During the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]] in 1991, the 1st Guards Mechanised Brigade took part in the [[Battle of Vukovar]], where it acted as the Yugoslav People's Army's strike force from the southern flank. The Guards Brigade would serve the [[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro]] with distinction for 14 years.
The Guard in its current form was formed on November 30, 2006 when the Serbian Armed Forces was created.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vs.rs/index.php?content=7e3b9568-f716-102b-bdc2-a0672172d7df|title=Војска Србије {{!}} Организација {{!}} Јединице Генералштаба Војске Србије {{!}} Гарда|last=sisteme|first=Vojska Srbije {{!}} Serbian Armed Forces :: Centar za komandno-informacione|website=www.vs.rs|access-date=2017-11-11}}</ref>
==Missions==
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev, Boris Tadić and serbian Guards.jpg|thumb|Guardsmen performing arrival ceremony for [[Dmitry Medvedev]] and [[Boris Tadić]], 2010]]
[[File:Zgrada Novog dvora (Beograd) - 0014.JPG|thumb|Guardsmen at [[Novi Dvor]], the seat of the President of the Republic]]
The Guard is responsible for providing [[Guard of honour|guards of honour]] at official ceremonies and for special security duties in [[Belgrade]]. It also performs tasks within the scope of the military police work and the tasks in the field of logistics.
===Ceremonial duties===
Ceremonial duties include performing military honours to the highest foreign, domestic, and military officials, such as [[state visit|arrival ceremonies]] at the [[Palace of Serbia]] and guard duty at [[Novi Dvor]] (the seat of the [[President of Serbia|President of the Republic]]).
===Security missions===
Although the ceremonial duties attract more public attention, majority of the missions assigned to the Guard are security missions. These include guarding and protection of buildings and residences of chief military authorities: the [[Novi dvor]] (the seat of the Commander-in-Chief i.e. President of Serbia), buildings of the [[Ministry of Defence (Serbia)|Ministry of Defence]] and the General Staff as well as the official residences of the President of the Republic, Minister of Defence and the [[Chief of the Serbian General Staff|Chief of the General Staff]].
The close physical protection of the President of the Republic, Minister of Defence and the Chief of the General Staff is entrusted to the [[Cobras (Serbia)|"Cobras"]], the unit that is not part of the Guard.
===Logistics missions===
The Guard provide logistics for the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence.
== Structure ==
[[File:Парад в честь 70-летия Великой Победы - 38.jpg|thumb|Honor Guard Battalion in the [[2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade]]]]
[[File:BMW_motorcikl_vojne_policije_Vojske_Srbije_-_Odbrana_slobode_2019_Niš_5.jpg|180px|thumb|Motorcyclist of the 25th Military Police Battalion]]
The unit is composed of four battalions, all of which are based in the capital of [[Belgrade]].
* Guards HQ
* Command Battalion
* Honor Guard Battalion
* 25th Military Police Battalion
* Logistics Battalion
=== Honor Guard Battalion ===
Honor Guard Battalion is tasked with performing ceremonial functions. The ceremonial standard rifle of the unit is [[SKS|Zastava M59/66]]. Battalion members took part both in the [[2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade|2015]] and [[2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade|2020]] [[Moscow Victory Day Parade]]s. Part of the battalion is the [[Band of the Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces]], the  representative [[fanfare band]] of the unit and the Serbian Armed Forces in general.
=== 25th Military Police Battalion ===
The 25th Military Police Battalion is the [[military police]] unit of the Guard and the Serbian capital. It comprises the motorcycle unit which provides escort riding, personal escort, regulation and control of military traffic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bog-rata.com/2019/02/04/garda-srbija-motocikli-bmw/|title = ГАРДА ДОБИЛА МОТОЦИКЛЕ: 25.батаљон војне полиције опремљен новим средствима|date = 4 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php?topic=398.0;wap2|title = Реорганизација војне полиције - Page}}</ref>
==Traditions==
===Anniversary===
The anniversary of the unit is celebrated on May 6, in memory of the day when the Guard was formed in 1830.
===Patron saint===
The unit's [[Slava (tradition)|slava]] or its patron saint is [[George's Day in Spring|Saint George]] known as ''Sveti Đorđe''.
===Colors===
Royal blue and black with red trim are the colors used in the [[full dress uniform]] uniforms, worn by the Guardsmen since 1954, a recognizable symbol of the unit among general public in Serbia.
===March Music===
The Guard uses its own Guard March (''Gardijski marš'') as standard march music.
===Decorations===
* [[File:Order of the National Hero BAR.png|50px]] [[Order of the People's Hero|Order of the National Hero]] (1958)
* [[File:Order of the Battle flag Rib.png|50px]] [[Order of the War Banner]] (2000)
* [[File:Orden Belog orla sa macevima RS.gif|50px]] [[Order of the White Eagle with the swords]] (2015)
== Gallery ==
<gallery perrow="4">
File:Pocasni vod VS.jpg|Drill platoon
File:Гарда ВС.JPG|Gun salute platoon
</gallery>
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:1830 establishments in Serbia]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Serbia]]
[[Category:Guards of honour]]