Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banozic said on Wednesday that his visit to the United States is one of the steps in Croatia's efforts to leave a modern and strong army to its future generations, adding that the US confirmed that the Croatian army has developed into a respectable military force.

He said that the Croatian government has taken a clear position that the country needs a modern air force, a powerful land army and a strong navy.

Banozic, who is currently on an official visit to the United States, met with Senator Steve Daines and Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency James Hursch in Washington on Wednesday, according to a Defence Ministry press release.

“The visit to the Senate is a great opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation with our most important strategic partner in defence, who has been supporting Croatia since its independence,” Banozic said.

He added that he was “glad to hear from Director Hursch that the Croatian army has developed into a respectable military force and that it has full US support in further modernisation and equipping processes.”

Banozic said their talks focused on defence cooperation between Croatia and the US, the current situation in Israel and Ukraine, the situation in Southeast Europe, and further plans for the modernisation of the Croatian army and equipping it with modern Western systems and technologies.

Specifically, they discussed equipping the Croatian army with Black Hawk helicopters, Bradley fighting vehicles and Javelin anti-armour systems.

“We appreciate Croatia as a leader in the region and the assistance you provided to Ukraine. We also greatly appreciate that Croatia is one of the first countries to express and show support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” Hursch said according to the press release.

Banozic said that he is “especially glad that the US will continue to help Croatia in further strengthening its defence capabilities through the introduction of Western military platforms.”