Press Officer Reporting For Duty: Lt Cdr Bennett’s story
After teaching as a secondary school science teacher for 8 years, at the “tender” age of 33, Brian joined the Royal Navy. Now stationed on his first overseas tour in Sarajevo as part of the EU’s efforts to stabilise Bosnia and Herzegovina, we catch up with his experiences so far.
“I feel that I am contributing towards the development of a country which was involved in a difficult civil conflict.”
Lt Cdr Brian Bennett
What is EUFOR?
The European Union Force is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to preserve peace after the Bosnian war of the 1990s. It is ran by the European Union, and is a direct successor to NATO’s efforts in the early noughties. It is now known as Operation Althea and is based in Sarajevo.
The Role
Brian works as a public affairs spokesperson for the EUFOR. He is effectively a “roving reporter” for the commander of the force and is one of the main links between the media and the work EUFOR do. He also needs to be pretty tech-savvy and makes use of social media so that as many people possible can see the work EUFOR do to keep the country stable.
Life in Sarajevo
The political landscape in Bosnia and Herzegovina isn’t as volatile as it has been before, but many issues such as the confusing political system, and inter-ethnic issues of the country still prove to be problematic 20 years after the war. The main challenges Brian faces are getting information to the press and onto social media, as quick as possible.
Brian says he misses two things about being back home: his kids,and cooking for himself. To keep himself occupied, he is training for an Ironman triathlon. The ironman involves a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and finishes off with a full marathon (42km run).
“I remember seeing images of the Yugoslavian war 25 years ago; I feel like i’m doing my bit to help the country move towards EU membership and a sustained safe and secure environment.”
What happened in the Bosnian war?
The Bosnian conflict (1992–95) was an ethnically-charged war between the Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Serbs and Croats. The ethnic divide between Serbs and Bosniaks reached its most horrific stage in the war when the brutal ethnic cleansing of the Bosniaks by Serbs resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians.
The conflict ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement in Ohio, in 1995. This NATO-mandated ceasefire is what holds the country in a stable state to this day.
