Description
185 years ago, on November 12, 1839, the Military Law (Закон воениј) was passed in the Principality of Serbia, which is the first legal act that systematically defines military security protection and prescribes punishments for acts of treason, desertion, rebellion, espionage and acts against «people›s freedom». This legal act is the cornerstone of the institutional existence and development of security protection of the Army and the bodies and services that implement it. Their improvement and operation through various forms and shapes continued during the 19th and 20th centuries until today.
The uprising of the people of Yugoslavia against the fascist occupation in 1941, the formation of the bodies of the people›s government and the NOV (People’s Liberation Army) and POJ units (Partisan Units of Yugoslavia), mobilized all patriots in the fight against the occupiers and quislings. Security protection was achieved through the collection of data on the occupier and opposing military formations and the prevention of infiltration by enemy agents. The comprehensive and aggressive intelligence and subversive activities of the occupiers and quislings required more effective protection and the existence of a centralized counterintelligence service. For this purpose, 80 years ago, on May 13, 1944, the Department for Protection of the People – OZNA was formed as a centralized security service. Within the OZNA, there was the third section – Counterintelligence protection of the armed forces. After the liberation, in 1946, from the third and fourth sections of the OZNA, the Counterintelligence Service (KOS) of the Ministry of National Defence was formed, which in 1955 received the name Security Directorate, in 2002 the Military Security Service and since 20 years ago (as of 2004) exists under the name Military Security Agency.
