Skopje, 25 March 2026 (MIA) - The Government and the Ministry of Defense promoted Wednesday at the Petrovec army barracks 17 armored fighting vehicles "Stryker", procured from the United States as part of an agreement on equipping the Army with light armored vehicles.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stressed that the vehicles will significantly boost the capacity of the Macedonian Army.

"This means a lot to us. It improves the operational capacity, bolsters the mobility of the Army itself and thus makes us more competitive compared to other armies. The Government will continue to invest in our Macedonian Army in the future. We want to have completely new modern equipment, within budgetary constraints of course, as well as all the criteria required to be by 2032. We are currently far above the minimum," said PM Mickoski.

Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski stressed that this is one of the largest defense projects, noting that it is very important to continue with the training.

"Seventeen Strykers have arrived now, and the rest should arrive by mid-summer, I hope. But we will continue with all that is part of our modernization. You will be seeing such projects all the time. I am grateful that all those vehicles kept in the garages in the past are now put into operation thanks to the project with the United States," said Misajlovski.

He thanked the Government for the largest budget so far, enabling the Ministry to tackle all challenges.

"We aren't just meeting NATO's twenty percent benchmark for modernization, we are exceeding it. More than 32 percent of our budget is allocated specifically for modernization. Many more projects are coming, because in the past period, together with our friends from the United States, we have made several government-to-government agreements, most of which have passed in Parliament. We expect additional armaments, additional equipment, drones, equipment for special units and many more projects in the coming period," - said Misajlovski.

United States Embassy's Chargé d'Affaires Nicole Varnes underlined that this was an important day for North Macedonia and NATO, as well as for common security.  

"With the arrival of these Strykers, these vehicles will have a delivery of 42 by this summer, North Macedonia takes a real and visible step forward in modernizing the armed forces and strengthening its place in the Alliance. Co-funded by North Macedonia and the United States Government through foreign military financing, this program shows that we can accomplish when we invest together in our collective defense," said the United States Embassy's Chargé d'Affaires. 

According to her, through the U.S. foreign military sales program, North Macedonia is gaining not only advanced interoperable systems, but also the training needed to use and maintain them effectively.

"The operator and field level maintenance training, which is now under way in Petrovec and Shtip, will ensure that these vehicles are ready when they are needed," Varnes added. 

She said the United States commends North Macedonia as NATO ally for choosing to invest in readiness and modernization. 

The cooperation with the United States includes two agreements for the purchase of Stryker and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs). All of the JLTVs, 96 in total, have already arrived, while the 17 Strykers are part of the 42 vehicles scheduled for delivery. 

Photo: MIA