The Millennium Team demining unit held a field demonstration at the Mine Action Centre of the Republic of Serbia in Velika Moštanica, attended by U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade Alexander Titolo, and Envoy of the President of Serbia Milorad Veljović.
The U.S. delegation had the opportunity to observe a demonstration of procedures in the event of an explosion during operations to clear land of unexploded ordnance, as well as the response in accordance with protocols prescribed for such situations. The exercise also involved the Millennium Team medical unit, as well as an inspector from the Mine Action Centre.
Ambassador Whitaker showed strong interest in the equipment and capabilities of the company in the field of demining. The Director of the Demining Sector of Millennium Team, Vuk Radović, provided a detailed presentation of the technical capabilities of the equipment on display – detectors for identifying unexploded ordnance at greater depths in the soil, handheld detectors, and high-capacity vegetation clearance machines.
“Our company maintains exceptionally strong cooperation with the Mine Action Centre of the Republic of Serbia, and we are very pleased to have had the opportunity to present our work and capabilities during the visit of the U.S. delegation,” said Vuk Radović, Director of the Demining Sector of Millennium Team. “The United States invests significant resources in demining projects in Serbia, and it is important that Ambassador Matthew Whitaker and Chargé d’Affaires Alexander Titolo were able to attend the demonstration conducted by our team of experienced deminers and personally witness how our company uses state-of-the-art equipment in its operations.”
The Millennium Team Demining Sector comprises 60 experienced professionals who have to date surveyed and cleared approximately 40 million square meters of land of unexploded ordnance and remnants of war – an area larger than 5,000 football fields. Around 40,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance have been detected and removed.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that the United States has already invested over USD 28 million in demining activities and is working to secure an additional USD 1.5 million. These efforts, he said, reflect the strength of bilateral relations and open a new chapter in relations between the United States and Serbia.
“Since 2008, the United States has worked closely with Serbia to remove landmines and cluster munition contamination from civilian areas. The Mine Action Centre of the Republic of Serbia has been an excellent partner in these efforts. A significant milestone was reached in 2025, when residual cluster munitions were cleared from civilian areas. We are now focusing on clearing the last municipality with known mine-affected areas. This cooperation saves lives and will remain a shared priority for our countries,” Whitaker emphasized.
Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade Alexander Titolo emphasized that demining is an area where exceptional cooperation between the United States and Serbia is clearly evident.
“Our joint efforts are literally saving lives, and I am pleased that Ambassador Whitaker had the opportunity to see the excellent work of the deminers,” Titolo said.
Director of the Mine Action Centre, Bojan Glamočlija, highlighted the importance of the support provided by the U.S. Government over the 23 years of the Centre’s work.
“The support of the United States, as well as other donors, has a multifaceted impact; in addition to enhancing safety, it contributes to creating conditions for faster economic development of municipalities that were contaminated by remnants of war,” said Glamočlija, recalling that from 2002 to 2025, the U.S. Government donated more than USD 16 million to the humanitarian demining centre and, together with other donors, invested more than USD 30 million in the removal of explosive remnants of war.
