, France after his exile After military successes in the wars 1876–1878 during which the
Principality of Montenegro was enlarged by a large territory, from the
Tara River in the north to the
Adriatic Sea in the south (liberated towns
Podgorica,
Nikšić,
Kolašin,
Andrijevica,
Bar and
Ulcinj), reorganization in Montenegrin army was conducted in 1880. Each kapetanija (municipality) formed its reserve battalion. There were 42 battalions in total. Since 1881, regular military exercises were conducted. Supreme Commander of the Montenegrin army was the monarch,
Prince / King Nikola I. Operational command, organization and financial support of the Montenegrin army was entrusted to the Ministry of Defence, the department of the Government of the Principality /
Kingdom of Montenegro. General Staff of the Montenegrin army was part of the Ministry of Defence. In 1882 first 14 Montenegrins were sent to officer schools abroad, particularly in Italy and Russia. In 1886, 10 of them completed their education and they become first trained officers in Montenegrin warrior history. These Montenegrin officers held courses in
Podgorica,
Nikšić and
Cetinje. In September 1895, the first permanent Infantry NCO school in Podgorica was opened, and the first NCOs got desečar rank. At the end of 1896, artillery officer school in Cetinje was established – the first Montenegrin officer school.
Formations In 1906 Montenegrin army received the first systematized regulations, and the Law on Organization of the Army was adopted in 1910. Infantry and artillery, were established, followed by two specialized branches (reconnaissance and pioneering), and additional branches (medics, military workshop, the military court staff, gendarmerie and logistics). In 1913 the Montenegrin gendarmerie became a special Military Police unit. Since the establishment of the internal Montenegrin telecommunications system in 1869, vital for the flow of military-defence information, it was under the jurisdiction of Ministry of the military. Until 1912, the territory of the
Kingdom of Montenegro was divided into four divisional areas: • 1.
Cetinje divisional area • 2.
Podgorica divisional area • 3.
Nikšić divisional area • 4.
Kolašin divisional area After wars 1912–1913 additional two divisional areas were established: • 5.
Pljevlja divisional area • 6.
Peć divisional area By 1912, the Montenegrin Army had 11 brigade areas, 52 districts and 322 battalion troop areas. Divisions were composed of 2–3 Infantry Brigade. Each divisional command had three artillery batteries. On the eve of the First Balkan War Kingdom of Montenegro lined up 55,000 soldiers. After the establishment of the
Kingdom of Montenegro in 1910, Montenegro was involved in three wars with the first one being the
First Balkan War, in alliance with
Serbia,
Greece,
Romania, and
Bulgaria against the
Ottoman Empire. The
Second Balkan War was fought between Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, Romania and the Ottoman Empire against Bulgaria, with Bulgaria consequently losing significant territory in the north,
Thrace, and
Macedonia. The Military of Montenegro before 1918, was much larger than today's military. During World War I, Montenegro mobilised 50,000 troops. The Commander-in-Chief was
King Nikola I of Montenegro, while the General of Staff was
Božidar Janković. Units included: • Pljevlja Division The Pljevlja Division was commanded by Brigadier
Luka Gojnić. The division was made up of 10 battalions. It had around 6,000 soldiers and patrolled the area east from
Pljevlja. • Herzegovina Detachment The Herzegovina Detachment was commanded by
Serdar (
Count)
Janko Vukotić. The detachment was made up of 15 battalions. It had around 15,000 soldiers, and patrolled the border with
Herzegovina. • Lovćen Detachment The Lovćen Detachment was commanded by divizijar
Mitar Martinović. The detachment was made up of 18 battalions. It had around 8,000 soldiers, and patrolled the areas of
Lovćen and
Sutorman. • Old Serbia' Detachment The 'Old Serbia' Detachment was commanded by Brigadier
Radomir Vešović. The detachment was made up of 13 battalions. It had around 6,000 soldiers and secured the Albanian border.
Uniforms Most soldiers of the Montenegrin army had no uniforms. At mobilization, the soldiers were issued with a rifle and a badge to put on the cap. Both soldiers and officers in the reserve wore
national costume. The badges in the caps had different designs depending on the rank of the wearer. in national costume, 5/6. Officers, 7. Officer of the Royal Escort in national costume, 8. Private soldier, 9. Divizijar.
Ranks and badges All Montenegrins between 18 and 62 years were conscripts. Recruitment was done three times a year, and the recruits are in peacetime had to be at least 25 years old. • Officer ranks were: potporučnik, poručnik, kapetan, komandir, brigadir, divizijar • NCO ranks were: desečar, donarednik, narednik • Ceremonial ranks were: serdar, vojvoda , Brigadir, Komandir, Lieutenant: Second row: Barjakdar =
ensign, Vodnik =
sergeant, Desečar =
corporal, gunner ==Peacekeeping operations==