Co-operation with Macedonia
(4 September) Under the terms of the NATO summit in Wales, SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč and Macedonian Defence Minister Zoran Jolevski discussed options of bilateral defence co-operation of both countries. Slovakia offered its partner an exchange of experience from the integrative process, as well as joint military exercises and military-technical collaboration. Minister Jolevski informed Martin Glváč on Macedonia’s performance in Afghanistan. Currently, they have 154 soldiers in ISAF and plan to deploy 30 soldiers on a new mission in Afghanistan, called Resolute Support. Approximately 300 Slovak soldiers participate in ISAF and our Minister preliminarily noted that 65 soldiers in the new mission should take turns on a biannual basis. Another topic of discussion was the support for Macedonia’s efforts to join NATO. As SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč stated, “In the long run, Slovakia has been supporting Macedonia’s accession to the Alliance.” ● As part of the 3rd Banská Bystrica Marathon, the SVK MOD’s Championships in Half-Marathon took place for the first time on 6 September. Of the 32 men and 5 women participating in the run, Marek Mockovčiak (Military Unit 1007 Prešov) came in first at 1:16:45 and Natália Šuleková (Military Unit 3030 Zvolen) at 1:42:17. Overall, the women’s half-marathon run was dominated by Petra Fašungová, the fastest sportswoman from the Military Sports Club DUKLA Banská Bystrica (MSC DBB), with her time of 1:23:26. In the half-marathon’s relay race, the MSC DBB’s sportsmen finished third. Among them was Anton Kučmín, biathlon coach, and Matej Tóth, race walker and silver medallist from the European Championships.
NATO summit
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(5 September) “We can evaluate the NATO summit as decisive and successful also for Slovakia and its defence,” stated SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč at the end of the NATO summit, held on 4 – 5 September in Wales, UK. SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč and SVK President and Commander-in-Chief Andrej Kiska informed of Slovakia’s efforts to establish a logis c base in Poprad in favour of NATO’s needs, in case the Alliance shows any interest in that. At the same me, we will reinforce our presence at the Alliance’s HQ in Szczecin. Slovakia also offered Training Centre Lešť and Sliač AFB to host various exercises. The Minister confirmed that the SVK delega on had pledged not to cut the SVK defence budget, but rather to increase the share of the MOD’s budget for moderniza on up to 20 per cent by 2016. The SVK MOD’s budget will have reached the EU/NATO member countries’ average by 2020. “Today, it represents 1.6 per cent of GDP,” specified the SVK Minister of Defence, adding that “In relaon to the budget’s increase, we prefer moderniza on and new projects.” SVK President Andrej Kiska appreciated the approval of the Alliance’s Readiness Ac on Plan, the main goal of which is to strengthen the Allies’ defences. “Under this plan, we agreed to reinforce our military presence in NATO’s east and establish new forces able to react to a crisis in any country in a very short me,” he explained. In relaon to the current situa on in eastern Ukraine, he remarked that all countries wished to achieve peace via dialogue. Miroslav Lajčák, the SVK Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, added that another major issue to be discussed even a er the summit was Iraq and the threat of terrorism. “The way the Alliance wants to respond to these threats is included in the Readiness Ac on Plan.” An extraordinarily important issue was the situa on in Ukraine. Mar n Glváč stated that his Alliance colleagues appreciated the steps the Slovak Republic had taken in rela on to the crisis. He reminded that Slovakia had provided Ukraine with both military and non-military assistance so far, and together with its V4 partners would intensify repor ng on the situa on in Ukraine, con nue to help Ukraine, and provide training for Ukrainian EOD specialists.
● On Saturday, 6 September, the Military History Museum at Piešťany Airport hosted the 8th Armed and Rescue Services Day with Children. The event was organized by the Institute of Military History Bratislava in collaboration with the town of Piešťany. Speaking in the presence of Col Roman Kopřiva, Defence Attaché of the Czech Republic to Slovakia, Remo Cicutto, mayor of Piešťany, and other guests, Brig Ondřej Novosad, SVK Land Forces Commander, emphasized that this activity is directed at bringing the past and present of the SVK Armed Forces and of other armed services closer to the general public. ● To mark the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising and the Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic, members of the Slovak Contingent in ISAF organized a series of events at Kandahar Airfield, with a view to spotlighting the Slovak Republic and its history among the servicemen and women in ISAF. As part of the initiative, they showed promotion documentaries, distributed informative handouts, and organized a 5-km run for soldiers and contractors. Members of our advisory team, tasked with carrying out support missions in favour of Afghanistan’s 4th Rapid Response Battalion, came up with a humanitarian fund-raising campaign. The proceeds will go on building a school and a medical facility in Mazar e Sharif. The project is being implemented by doc. Nasir Jalili, a Slovak bacteriologist of Afghan origin. ● In connection with the conclusion of ISAF operations in Afghanistan, the end of August saw the relocation of 59 tons of materiel from Kandahar Airfield (KAF) to Slovakia, which will continue to be used by the SVK Armed Forces. Another flight is scheduled for late September, when a similar load will be transferred from KAF to Slovakia, including armaments, equipment and other materiel.
Miloš Koterec in Poland (1 September) Miloš Koterec, State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence, paid a visit to the 22nd International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland. Being the largest exhibition of its kind in Central Europe, the trade show saw approx. 400 exhibitors come together from nearly 30 countries to display their products. “An exhibition of this size provides ample space for presenting the best of the defence industry. For us, its significance is even greater, considering the fact that the modernization of the SVK Armed Forces has been a priority from the onset,” noted Miloš Koterec. In Kielce, he met with the Polish State Secretary of the National Defence Ministry, Czesław Mroczek, who concurrently acts as National Armaments Director, as well as with the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Robert Kupiecki.
Helping citizens
(2 September) A total of 21 soldiers from the 13th Mechanized Battalion Levice assisted the village residents of Ipeľský Sokolec by taking measures against leakage at a local dam. They were operationally committed to the area at the request of the crisis staff from the Levice District Office. “Even in this case we promptly responded to the request for assistance. Our soldiers are ready to help wherever the situation requires it,” said SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč.
Testing battle skills (3 September) In the mountainous terrain between Zvolen and Banská Bystrica, the Command, Control and Reconnaissance Brigade from Zvolen, operating under the SVK Air Force, organized the 1st 24-hour Basic Battle Skills Competition. The Brigade’s units are positioned throughout Slovakia. According to its commander Col Milan Mosný, GS, in comparison with last year’s “zero” edition, the competition’s requirements this year were even more demanding. Its goal was to test selected individual and small group combat skills. Composed of a commander and four soldiers, the teams performed the tasks of firing and tactical drills, topography, CBR protection, and signal and sapper preparation. Among other things, they had to perform a complete assembly and disassembly of the CZ-58 sub-machine gun with their eyes tiedup, to provide first aid and evacuate a wounded soldier from the battlefield during a redeployment phase, and finally, a part of the track was assigned for night marching.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
Each competition participant had to carry at least a 10-kilo backpack. The team from the Command Support Company, Air Force HQ Zvolen, under the leadership of SSgt Marián Kučera, presented itself as the best prepared of all. The importance of this competition testing the professional soldiers’ battle skills was also stressed by the Senior NonCommissioned Officer of the SVK Armed Forces, Command Sgt Maj Vladimír Beluš.
September 1 - 7, 2014