Relevant authorities have flagged security concerns involving 29 members of Montenegro’s Armed Forces, along with 3 additional matters related to access to classified information. This marks the commencement of a process that will be ongoing, as no uniform can ensure loyalty and no service can promise security without comprehensive verification of security reliability.

I anticipate that the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Staff of the Montenegrin Armed Forces will proceed with actions against individuals who fail security checks, in strict adherence to the laws and the highest standards of professional accountability. In the framework we are establishing, honorable service embodies full legality, accountability, and transparency.

Previously, in the Police Directorate, nearly 100 officials were suspended under the same principle of vetting, while hundreds of security checks, integrity assessments, and other procedures were initiated.

We have made it clear before, and we reiterate with even greater conviction now, that vetting is the most potent tool in combatting the infiltration of organized crime, lawlessness, corruption, and all unauthorized influences within the state’s security apparatus.

This represents a historic cleansing of those who have acted against Montenegro’s interests, favoring lawlessness, smuggling, organized crime, and various other centers of power.

Anyone who opposes the vetting process, who downplays its importance, or who provides excuses for those unable to pass basic security checks must understand that they are not defending the State, but rather those who have been undermining it for years.