Continuation of cooperation between SVK and US
(5 March) State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Miloš Koterec was present at the joint training of the SVK and US Special Forces held in the Training Centre Lešť. Altogether, 103 members of the 10th US Special Forces Group’s unit participate in the exercise, along with 56 members of the 5th Special Forces Regiment based in Žilina. Four helicopters UH-60 Blackhawks are being used during the joint training of the special operations’ forces. The exercise is primarily aimed at the drill of the joint operational and tactical procedures to be applied by the Special Forces when fighting the terrorism, countering the smuggling of the dangerous goods through the EU borders, handing over the seized material to a CBR unit for the purposes of closer examination and transportation of the same to a safe place. The exercise is geared towards the planning, control and execution of the joint operations of the Special Forces. At the end of the year, our Special Forces should undergo certification to achieve full operational preparedness of the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) within the NATO forces with a lower state of readiness (FLR). “Slovakia has excellent training areas and facilities, which enable the troops to train under real-life conditions. That is why we are most grateful for the excellent cooperation with SVK partners,” said Norman Scharpf, Deputy Chief of Mission of the American Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia. “The main goal of the exercise is to practice the special capability for certification, which is ahead. To this end, the exercises like this are always most useful,” added the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. The joint exercise of the SVK and US Special Forces will be held in the Training Centre Lešť until 13 March. ● To pay tribute to the memory of the Slovak generals Augustín Malár, Ján Golian, Štefan Jurech and Rudolf Viest who had been executed in WWII in the year 1945, members of the SVK Generals Club held a commemorative event in Bratislava on 4 March. The Generals Club members were met by Lt Gen Peter Vojtek, Deputy Chairman of the SVK Generals Club. Also in attendance were the other former Chiefs of the SVK Armed Forces General Staff, including, notably, General (retd) Milan Cerovský and General (retd) Ľubomír Bulík, Maj Gen František Blanárik, Chairman of the SVK Generals Club, Lt Col (retd) Marcel Jurech, the son of Gen Štefan Jurech, and the SVK Armed Forces command was represented by Maj Gen Macko, 2nd Vice-Chief of the SVK General Staff. ● The SVK MOD Club hosted an initial specialist gathering of priests and lay people of the SVK Armed Forces and Armed Corps Ordinariate. A pontifical mass was being held inside the Ordinariate’s cathedral in Bratislava’s Krasňany District to mark the 12th anniversary of the Ordinariate’s inception as well as a solemn opening ceremony of the diocesan synod. The event was attended by the partner Ordinariates from Austria, Hungary and Poland, representatives of the SVK Defence, Interior and Justice Ministries. Launched on 3 March 2015, the work of the diocesan synod is scheduled to continue well until 1 March 2017.
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(2 March) Inclusion of a strategic partner into the Military Repair Plant Trenčín proved to be the right decision to take. Hence, the repair plant not only got out of the red but it was saved from being wound up. In the past year, the number of employees increased by more than one hundred and dependency on the defence orders was significantly reduced. “While in the past the number of defence orders was kept artificially high, amounting to some 80 – 90%, to-date it represents approximately 7%,” concluded SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč, when he and SVK Prime Minister Robert Fico made a visit to the company MSM Martin – Trenčín. “I was most pleased to accept the invitation to visit this plant, because we succeed in meeting the commitment stipulated in the Government Manifesto. Our goal was to stabilize the military repair plant. Todate, it is manifest that the number of orders has increased and that the plant has gradually established itself in the international trade markets, which I am very pleased to say,” summarized the Prime Minister. What he appreciated in particular was that currently the strategic partner of the both former military repair plants employs nearly 550 people. The Head of Defence Department confirmed that the department intends to apply the similar pattern of a long-term lease also in 2015, namely with respect to the Aircraft Repair Plant Trenčín (LOT). “A similar competitive tender, as was the case with the military repair plants, should be lodged no later than in summer 2015,” he stated. Inclusion of a strategic partner has already proved to be effective in two plants, with the employment rate having increased in both of them, in Trenčín-based facility even by more than 100 people. Marián Goga, Director of MSM Martin s.r.o. (Ltd.), informed the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the current situation of the plant, which the company has in a long-term lease since 1 January 2014: “We have managed to stabilize the employment rate and ensured new orders and the current number of defence orders is only marginal. We are able to gain new business partners.” The Defence Department selected the strategic partner for MRP Trenčín in a public competitive tender. This is not to be confused with the privatization of the repair plant, since the ownership rights were preserved and remained unchanged, i. e. state retained the ownership of the plant.
● Staff members from the Operations and Police Activities Division Trenčín and the Police Enforcement Support Division Trenčín participated in a marksmanship training session at the Vlkanová – Hronsek Firing Range as part of re-equipping the Military Police with the Glock 17 service pistol. Following the initial specialized preparation and familiarization with the weapon’s tactical-technical data, the participants conducted live firing. ● On 2 March, at M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, members of the International Transports and Transits Control Movement and Transportation Infrastructure Bratislava – SVK MOD Logistics Support Office, supported the arrival of weaponry, equipment and material in the inventory of a 10th US Special Forces Group’s unit. The weaponry, equipment and material were flown to the airport by four Lockheed C130 Hercules multipurpose transport aircraft. Also, members of the 5th Special Forces Regiment Žilina were involved in the overall provision of support activities at the airport, especially in connection with the subsequent road transport of the 10th US Special Forces Group personnel and their weaponry, equipment and material. ● Maj Gen Kristin Lund, UNFICYP Commander, awarded MSgt Jozef Gomboš for his exemplary professional service during his one-year tour of duty in the international mission. She herself presented the award to the serviceman on 27 February. ● A coordination training exercise involving the Supply Base II Martin and the Firefighting and Rescue Corps Unit Martin in the form of an incident response to a simulated fire caused by vapours of flammable substances at BDG 60 – Paint Workshop, Repairs Management Centre, took place on 4 March. The Director of the Firefighting and Rescue Corps District Directorate Martin and the base’s fire safety technician were involved in assessing the exercise’s results. They not only expressed satisfaction with the outcomes, but also pointed to the deficiencies and shortcomings that must be eradicated.
Minister receives ambassador
(3 March) SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč received H.E. Shri Parama Jit Mann, Ambassador of the Republic of India, at the SVK MOD. During the meeting, they evaluated the Slovak-Indian bilateral relationship, especially in the field of defence, training and education collaboration. The Republic of India has conveyed interest in exploring the possibility of training its forces with real chemical substances at the CBRN Training and Testing Centre Zemianske Kostoľany (CBRN TTC ZK), a facility unique in its scope of specialization in the whole of Central Europe. For the purpose of familiarizing themselves with the CBRN TTC, CBRN specialists from India are scheduled to visit the centre this March already.
Remembering the Nováky incident
(2 March) Miloš Koterec, the State Secretary of the SVK MOD, commemorated the 8th anniversary of the tragic event that occurred at the Military Repair Plant Nováky (MRP Nováky). A total of eight employees died in the explosion and dozens were injured. “Another court hearing on this tragic incident was underway early last month and I believe the final court ruling will be made in a short period of time,” said M. Koterec. The March 2007 explosion inside the ammunition disassembly hall destroyed much of the company’s facilities. Following the tragedy, the economic situation turned out to be unfavourable in the long term. In an effort to stabilize the MRP Nováky and preserve the employment levels, the SVK MOD’s current leadership leased the MRP for a period of 20 years to a strategic partner, which was selected in a public bidding process.
Turkey wishes to train in Slovakia
(3 March) Lt Gen Milan Maxim, Chief of the SVK Armed Forces General Staff, held talks with General Necdet Özel, Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces General Staff, in Ankara on 3 March. The Chief of the Turkish General Staff informed the Slovak delegation of the regional security developments as well as of the Turkish Armed Forces’ engagement in international crisis management operations. The Turkish party also expressed interest in using the Lešť Training Centre and decided to send observers to Slovakia to attend an international military exercise, dubbed Slovak Shield 2015. Lt Gen Maxim invited General Özel for a visit of the Slovak Republic.
During our V4 presidency we need to get the EU BG ready (8 March) Defence planning specialists from the Visegrad Group countries will gather on 14 – 16 April in Slovakia to follow through on the commitment to prepare the joint V4 EU BG. At the 8th planning conference, 60 representatives from partner countries will make a task performance evaluation and agree on a training plan for a certification exercise, codenamed Common Challenge 2015. “The certification exercise, which will test the compatibility of troops to meet the needs of a joint engagement, is planned for the latter half of this year. That’s why still during our presidency we need to set everything so as to make the project a success,”
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said SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. As part of Slovakia’s overall contribution of 560 service personnel, those most represented will be a mechanized company, transportation company, Military Police unit, ammunition technicians, doctors and medical staff. The SVK Armed Forces will be the lead nation for chemical, radiological and biological (CBR) defence. The V4 EU BG will be on stand-by from the first half of 2016. The training of the SVK component will be completed on 30 June 2015. Subsequently, the international training of the V4 EU BG will unfold until it culminates in the Common Challenge 2015 certification exercise.
March 2 - 8, 2015