Martin Glváč receives world champion (3 September) SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč received Matej Tóth, the world champion in the men’s 50km race walk at the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, to congratulate him on his life’s great achievement. Speaking about the stunning performance of this representative of Slovakia and the Military Sports Centre DUKLA Banská Bystrica, he said: “I am very happy to see what this modest soldier has accomplished and I am left with nothing but a strong belief that we will manage to create such conditions at our sports centre as to have more Matej Tóths in the future.” At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the DUKLA sportsmen and women will be equally successful at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. “Sure, we’ll have there several irons in the fire,” he said. As a symbolic thank-you for his outstanding representation, the Minister presented Matej Tóth with an ice hockey stick, originally owned by the goalkeeper Jaroslav Halák, because in his childhood he wished to become an ice hockey goalkeeper. On this occasion, the Minister announced the promotion of Tóth’s coach, Sgt Matej Spišiak, to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He also promised to promote MSgt Tóth as soon as the new Professional Soldiers’ State Service Act enabled him to do so. “I’m proud to be a professional soldier and my relationship with the Armed Forces is very positive. Thanks to being a member of the Military Sports Centre, I’ve had not only excellent conditions for doing sport but also social welfare, which is not a rule when it comes to individual sports in Slovakia,” said Matej Tóth. ●
Based on a request forwarded by the Firefighting and Rescue Corps, Prešov-based Helicopter Wing assisted in extinguishing a fire on Babia hora Mountain on 31 August. Col Róbert Tóth, Helicopter Wing Commander, ordered the deployment of an Mi-17 helicopter equipped with a bambi bucket. The helicopter took off from the base at 16:40 hrs and assisted the Firefighting and Rescue Corps at the site of the fire well until darkness. The following day, 1 September, the helicopter from Prešov assisted in extinguishing another fire at the village of Hranovnica near Poprad.
Defence ministers on EU security (4 September) Luxembourg hosted an informal meeting of Defence
Ministers of the European Union under the leadership of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. The Slovak delegation was led by the State Secretary of the SVK MOD, Miloš Koterec. During the two-day meeting, the ministers devoted substantial attention to the EU’s ongoing operational engagements, as well assessing the status of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, as agreed by Heads of State and Government in June 2015. The importance of the international community’s response to the topical issues was confirmed by the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous. The key topics of discussion were illegal migration, hybrid threats, support for building security capabilities of partner countries even in the context of illegal migration, as well as the strengthening of the EU’s defence capabilities and capacities to deliver an adequate reaction. A crucial response to the emerging security threats and the changing security environment will be the adoption of a new EU Global Strategy in June 2016. During the meeting, the representatives of defence ministries and NATO and UN officials focused on the ongoing military operations under the EU flag. Speaking on the increasing illegal migration at the EU borders, State Secretary Miloš Koterec said: “We are aware of the burden the countries exposed to the greatest pressure by migrants from Libya, Syria and Iraq must bear and that’s why we support the engagement of the EU’s maritime capabilities in the Mediterranean. For us, however, it is equally important to find a solution to the ‘Balkan Route’ for illegal migration.” Reflecting on the upcoming mandate extension of Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miloš Koterec noted: “We remain convinced of the need to maintain the executive mandate of Operation ALTHEA at least until such time that the social and economic reforms to strengthen the still fragile security environment in the country are implemented.
(3 – 5 September) A total of 23 SVK Armed Forces professional soldiers from Sereď-based Engineer Battalion took part in a multinational exercise in Hungary, entitled BLONDE AVALANCHE 2015. Besides the SVK Armed Forces personnel, the exercise also brought together soldiers from partner countries – Hungary, Romania and Ukraine – all associated in the project of the Multinational Engineer Battalion TISA.
● On 1 September, Rožňava-based Rocket Launcher Detachment was resubordinated from the SVK Land Forces Command to Topoľčany-based 1st Mechanized Brigade. Speaking at the resubordination ceremony, Col Vladimír Kubáň, 1st Mechanized Brigade Commander, emphasized the special qualification and professionalism of the Rocket Launcher Detachment and wished its members every success in their future activities. ● On Saturday, 5 September, 9th Armed Forces and Rescue Systems Day with Children took place at the premises of the Military History Museum in Piešťany. The event was held under the auspices of the SVK Minister of Defence, Martin Glváč. Among other things, the programme included a fly-past by a MiG-29 aircraft demonstrating advanced pilotage, a deployment of the S-300 P Anti-Aircraft Missile System, a musical performance by the Military Band of the SVK Armed Forces, a show programme by the SVK Armed Forces Honour Guard, as well as other demonstrations of missions by soldiers, policemen and firefighters. ● Zvolen-based Air Force Command, Control and Surveillance Brigade organized the 3rd Captain Edmund Makovník Memorial. The 24-hour-long competition in basic combat skills was held on 3 – 4 September in honour of the professional soldier who was a former member of the brigade for many years and who died in 2013 while deployed on ISAF operations in Afghanistan. Among the seven 5-member teams participating in the competition, the most successful one was Team “Echo” of Močiar-based Radar Surveillance Company, commanded by SFC Peter Merta. ● The SVK Ministry of Defence Half Marathon, held on 6 September as part of the 4th Banská Bystrica Marathon, has its winners: in the men’s category – WO1 Marek Mockovčiak of Military Unit 1007 Prešov (1:15:48), in the women’s category – Petra Fašungová of the Military Sports Centre DUKLA Banská Bystrica (1:25:48).
New DIANA Artillery System
www.mosr.sk/ebulletin/
(1-4 September) Kielce, Poland, hosted the 23rd International Defence Industry Exhibition – MSPO 2015. There, a new product of Slovak-Polish defence industry collaboration made its debut this year. At the arms fair, representatives of DMD GROUP Dubnica nad Váhom, of which the SVK Ministry of Defence is the 100 percent shareholder as of 1 July, showcased the new DIANA Artillery System. The manufacturers of the DIANA 155mm/52-calibre Artillery System, built on a modified tracked chassis by BUMAR, a Poland-based defence company, are KONŠTRUKTA – DEFENCE and ZTS – ŠPECIÁL. “This is another tangible project of the Slovak and Polish defence industries. We believe the system may find its place especially on third markets. At the same time, I am glad that defence manufacturing in the Považie region is coming back to life and that the DIANA Artillery System could be developed thanks to the support of the current MOD leadership,” said Viliam Dubovický, Director General of DMD GROUP. Poland’s
Project TISA
MSPO 2015 is the largest exhibition of its kind in Central Europe and the third largest on the old continent. It features side events, conferences, seminars and presentations, creating a unique opportunity for discussing developments in the field of defence equipment and technology.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
“Not only Slovakia but also its surrounding countries regularly suffer from various natural disasters. It’s good that our soldiers rehearse joint procedures with other countries to cope with unpredictable events more effectively. Therefore, the TISA project represents an effective form of mutual assistance between the partner countries,” stated SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. Within the TISA project, the partner countries’ units train together annually, always on the territory of the presiding country. This year it is Hungary, which is, at the same time, the commanding country of the Multinational Engineer Battalion TISA. Slovakia acted as the presiding country in 2013. If required, based on a request made by any of the parties to the agreement, the Multinational Engineer Battalion TISA is ready to be employed to assist in mitigating the consequences of disasters, which may occur on the territory of the requesting party or if there is a real danger that such disaster might occur. “Assisting local residents struck by a natural disaster is one of the obligatory tasks of all Armed Forces. I am glad that these joint tests present soldiers to the public not only as warriors but also as helpers,” added Chief of the SVK General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim. The Multinational Engineer Battalion TISA was founded pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement signed on 18 January 2002 in Budapest by the Governments of Hungary, Romania, Slovak Republic and Ukraine. Its main role is to provide assistance to local civilians and to take part in mitigating the damage caused by natural disasters in the basin of the Tisa river.
August 31– September 6, 2015