Exercise Ground Pepper 2014
(9 October) On 9 October, a technical agreement to hold a joint military exercise was signed by the participating parties at the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces in Bratislava. This move marked the fulfilment of the last condition, before launching the redeployment of troops and military hardware to the Lešť Training Area. On behalf of the SVK party to the agreement, the document was signed by the 2nd Vice-Chief of the General Staff, Maj Gen Pavel Macko. The other participating parties were represented by U.S. and Czech defence attachés, commanders of troops to participate in the exercise from Poland and Hungary, and Deputy Chief of Staff Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC-B). “I believe that our joint effort will bear its fruit during the exercise and that we will demonstrate our readiness to fulfil the commitments made upon our entry into the Alliance,” said Maj Gen Macko after the signing of the agreement. The exercise, involving the V4 countries and the United States, will be held at the the Lešť and Kamenica nad Cirochou Training Areas on 13 – 22 October. It will bring together 900 professional soldiers, representing different military branches. The exercise aims to test the readiness of NATO forces to conduct joint operations in an environment simulating a contemporary high-intensity military conflict.
● The 10th jubilee anniversary of the SVK MOD’s Combat Firing Competition took place on 2 October. The Specialized Training Division instructors from the Lešť Training Centre aimed to test the shooting skills of 2-member teams in firing short and long guns, while performing tasks in simulated combat conditions. The winners of the Pi 9mm Makarov, Sa vz 58 category were the Žilina-based 5th Special Operations Regiment representatives; and of the Pi 9mm Luger, Sa vz. 58 category were members of the SVK Interior Ministry’s Stand-by Police Unit. Ivan Šebík and Jozef Didi, staff members of the Raid and Defence Academy, triumphed in the Pi 9mm, Sa vz. 58 category of guests. ● On 6 October, members of the Vlkanová – Hronsek Training and Canine Centre rivalled one another in marksmanship skills at the 5th Shooting Competition in Memory of Capt Igor Scigeľ. The competition unfolded at three firing points, with the fastest shooters' knockout tournament as the grand finale. Winners in the Best Firing Team category were Maj Jaroslav Slančík and Capt Juraj Antol, while the winner of the individual firing competition was Capt Povol Sálus.
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(6 October) On Monday, at Dukla, Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč par cipated in the 70th anniversary celebra ons of the Carpatho-Dukla opera on and observed Dukla Vic ms Day. Mar n Glváč paid his tribute to the heroes of Dukla at the Czechoslovak Soldiers’ Memorial and, together with SVK President Andrej Kiska and General Ján Iľanovský, a parcipant in the Ba le of Dukla, a ended a statueunveiling ceremony at the Memorial. The commemora ons were a ended by former par cipants of the An -Nazi resistance movement and military veterans. During the high-visibility event, the Minister honoured 19 veterans, the town of Svidník and the village of Kalinov by awarding them with the 70th Anniversary of the Slovak Na onal Uprising and the End of WWII Medals. “Your acts of heroism deserve to be honoured. Let us learn to respect each other and build the dignity of our naon,” said Mar n Glváč. A er touring a modernized lookout tower at Dukla, the Minister commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Carpatho-Dukla opera on also at the Army General Ludvík Svoboda Statue and at the Soviet Army Memorial in Svidník. The Minister awarded, posthumously, Army General Ludvík Svoboda with the 70th Anniversary of the Slovak Na onal Uprising and the End of WWII Medal, which was handed over to Mrs Zoe Klusáková – Svobodová. To mark the 70th anniversary of the CarpathoDukla opera on, the Ministry of Defence, working in collabora on with the Military History Museum, organized a series of commemora ve celebra ons with an a rac ve programme in Svidník. The highlights included a parachute jump involving a group of paratroopers, a demonstra on of close combat, and a demonstra on of army dog training. Besides the line-up of military vehicles and equipment currently in service with the SVK Armed Forces, the 5th Special Opera ons Regiment displayed its armaments, equipment and clothes; the Na onal EOD Centre showcased its EOD devices for demining terrain; the Military History Museum presented their exhibits; the Dukla Banská Bystrica Army Sports Club gave the public the opportunity to try out a shoo ng simulator with a laser pistol, a canoe sprint simulator, and fencing.
● The employees of the Slovak Verification Centre (SVK VC) performed two inspection tours, with an international attendance, to Ukraine and Moldova. During the period from 29 September to 2 October, in accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the aim of the inspection was the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, based in Vasylkiv, Ukraine. The inspection team, formed of four SVC members and inspectors from Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Spain, examined the data provided by Ukraine in the Annual Information Exchange, and obtained more detailed information on the declared site. From 6 to 9 October, two SVK VC members, together with a visiting Danish inspector, conducted an inspection of the designated area in Moldova in accordance with Article IX of the Vienna Convention 2011. ● On Thursday, 9 October, a physical fitness and knowledgebased competition for high school students from the districts of Humenné, Snina and Medzilaborce took place at the Kamenica nad Cirochou Training Area as part of the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising and the Carpatho-Dukla operation. Members of the Prešov- and Košice-based Recruitment Groups participated in the event as well. The competition saw 5-member teams from 12 high schools engaging in the disciplines such as firing with compressed-air guns, hand grenade throwing, horizontal rope climbing, medical drills, running, history of the Slovak National Uprising and the Carpatho-Dukla operation. The competition winners were the students of the Joint Christian School in Snina.
Aid in the fight against ISIS
(9 October) The SVK MOD will offer assistance as part of the international coalition to fight the Islamic State. “We are going to provide ammunition, humanitarian aid and train personnel in mine-clearance operations,” stated SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. Iraqi service personnel will be given the opportunity to attend courses at the Trenčín-based EOD Centre. The conditions of the aid delivery are to be arranged in accordance with international law. This, however, will have no negative influence on the training of SVK military personnel. Last year, at the Trenčín-based Centre of Excellence for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (COE EOD), 14 members of the Iraqi Armed Forces completed a specialized course aimed at widening their awareness of and professional readiness in the theory, detection, identification and deactivation of home-made explosive devices.
SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč has commenced the 10th literary competition for high school and university students. Narratives, compositions and essays on the theme of “2014 – A YEAR OF IMPORTANT HISTORICAL JUBILEES: THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SLOVAK NATIONAL UPRISING AND THE CARPATHO-DUKLA OPERATION, AND THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF WWI” need to be forwarded to sutaz@mod.gov.sk, with 11 November 2014 as the final deadline. The SVK MOD’s panel of judges will evaluate the writings in two categories, choose the best ones, and release them on the SVK MOD’s facebook page during the period from 20 to 27 November 2014. The winners will be announced after a public vote. The prize for the first places in both categories is set at 400€, for the second places 300€, and for the third places 200€. The papers of arbitrary prosaic or belles lettres genres are expected to contain between 500 and 750 words and should be sent in the .doc, .docx or .odf formats, together with the personal data of respective authors (including the author’s first name, surname, age, school, telephone number). By sending the papers, the competitors agree with the public release of their works, without their personal data being disclosed on the SVK MOD’s facebook page.
M. Glváč: My thanks go out to all soldiers for their service in ISAF (7 October) The involvement of SVK servicemen and women in ISAF operations has exceeded its military dimension. Members of the SVK Armed Forces have made a positive difference in favour of the Afghan people, making their lives easier and Afghanistan a safer place, as well as giving hope for a better future. This was the key message delivered by Minister of Defence Martin Glváč in Topoľčany during the homecoming ceremony of the 22nd rotation of SVK troops returning from ISAF. “My thanks go out to all soldiers for their service in ISAF, which is, after 10 years, drawing to a close,” said the Minister. According to his words, SVK troops did an enormous amount of high-quality work and represented Slovakia at the highest level: “Today, thanks to you all, Slovakia and SVK soldiers are the synonyms for reliability, professionalism and trust.” A large number of servicemen and women of diverse military specializations have rotated in ISAF. “In your hands rested not only the security of the Afghan civilians but also that of yours and your colleagues from different countries,” remarked the Minister. He went on to emphasize that today no one can count the lives saved by SVK troops. The countless kilometres of the Afghan land they demined have facilitated
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the reconstruction and development of the country´s vital infrastructure: “Slovak engineers left their unerasable mark not only at Kabul International Airport but also in Kandahar and Bagram. By building a Sunday school for kids in Kandahar, they have helped to pave the way for a better future.” Minister Glváč highly appreciated the fact that all of the soldiers from the last rotation had safely returned home to their families and said emphatically that the three SVK soldiers who had died on duty in Afghanistan in 2013 would forever remain in our hearts and minds. Also, he confirmed that the SVK MOD is to seek a mandate from the Slovak National Council, with a view to enabling SVK troops to operate under the new NATO mission in Afghanistan – Operation Resolute Support. Chief of the General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim confirmed that soldiers would apply their expertise gained in Afghanistan at home in Slovakia. “Our troops carried out a large number of tasks, demined 2 millions of square meters of land, and checked up to 20,000 vehicles per month at the entry points to Kandahar Airfield,” said Lt Gen Maxim, adding that nearly 60 Slovak service personnel still remain in Afghanistan to close down our operations.
October 6 - 13, 2014