Chief of General Staff at complex staff exercise rehearsal (22 April) The Chief of the SVK General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim attended an informational briefing directed at the analysis of the SVK Armed Forces’ training operation aimed at guaranteeing security and defence of the Slovak Republic, which was held during the complex staff exercise rehearsal of the Slovak Shield 2015. The rehearsal took place at the SVK General Staff in Bratislava last week and provided a comprehensive picture of the elaboration of the training operation, its organization, planned horizons and lessons learned gained from the training tasks worked out in detail. Individual exercise stages are directed at preparation of staffs, forces and declared units, and at crisis/operational planning and creation of materials for the other stages of the exercise. ● On 22 April, 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Peter Gajdoš met with the new Defence Attaché of the Czech Republic Brig Gen Zdeněk Jakůbek. The new attaché was welcomed also by Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Milan Maxim. Brig Gen Zdeněk Jakůbek replaced a former Defence Attaché of the Czech Republic Col Roman Kopřiva in this position. ● On the very same day, 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Peter Gajdoš received the outgoing Defence Attaché of the People’s Republic of China to Slovakia Xusheng Sun and the incoming Military and Air Attaché of the People’s Republic of China to Slovakia Col Hui Ji. In an informal discussion they concurred on their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation, possibly in the fields of military education and training, exchange of experience from the operation in Cyprus and sharing the information.
Preparations for single sky
(23 April) As part of the Slovak presidency of the Visegrad Group, the SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč welcomed his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Main topics of the negotiations, which took place in the village of Tomášov near Bratislava, were acceptance of the Defence Cooperation Action Plan, Defence Planning, creation of the joint V4 EU Battle Group, and the V4 Strategy in the field of trainings, exercises and operations abroad. “Some of these topics are fundamental and the Slovak presidency has considerably moved them forward. What concerns defence, the V4 is a very dynamic group, not only a formal coalition,” stated Martin Glváč. “In the current security situation, co-operation among the V4 countries is even more important,” added the Czech Minister of Defence Martin Stropnický. The Visegrad Group countries intend to intensify co-operation, especially in the field of airspace protection. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have already started the creation of a “single sky”, and the co-operation shall gradually concern all V4 countries. “For the June session of the V4 countries prime ministers, we have prepared the best base for the subsequent creation of the single sky within the Visegrad Group countries,” said minister Glváč. Another important topic of the meeting was the creation of the joint V4 EU Battle Group, which is to be on stand-by in the first half of 2016. The ministers also discussed joint exercises, which should be held annually, each year in another V4 country. In autumn, Exercise Slovak Shield 2015 will take place at Lešť Training Area and in Kamenica nad Cirochou. Concluding the negotiations, defence ministers signed the Joint Statement of the Visegrad Group Defence Ministers.
Co-operation with Croatia
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(22 April) Co-operation in the field of defence industry, education and training, as well as modernization processes – such were the topics discussed by the SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč and the Croatian Minister of Defence Ante Kotromanović. During his official visit to Split, Martin Glváč informed his Croatian counterpart on our current modernization processes. The Croatian minister was interested in our experience, as for Croatia plans replacement of helicopters and interceptors also. Teams of experts from both countries will meet to discuss possibilities of co-operation in the field of modernization, as well as interchange of spare parts for the existing military equipment. The Slovak Republic is ready to provide Croatian specialists with training with real toxic substances at Zemianske Kostoľany Training Centre and Lešť Training Area. “We will wholeheartedly welcome Croatian soldiers at the exercises, which will take place in Slovakia,” added Glváč. In return, the Croatian party has offered training for our scuba divers. In Croatia, Martin Glváč also visited the Adriatic Sea Defense and Aerospace Exhibition (ASDA) 2015, which saw 119 exhibitors from 21 countries.
● On 20 and 21 April, the Senior NCO of the SVK Armed Forces Command Sgt Maj Vladimír Beluš made a working visit to Martinbased Training Battalion. He met with Lt Col Róbert Kecső, Commander of the Battalion, and Sgt Maj Martin Bernath, Commanding Non-Commissioned Officer. Among the issued they addressed in particular was the issue of control of the specialised and career courses, with the aim to find out whether there are justifiable and reasonable grounds for sending professional soldiers to such courses. The Senior NCO checked how the daily order is carried out in the basic military training company. Together with the Commanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Land Forces Sgt Maj Rastislav Bodnár and the Commanding Non-Commissioned Officer of the Air Force Sgt Maj Peter Kuko they also examined the career and shortterm specialized courses being run. ● On 21 – 22 April, a partial rehearsal of introducing the battalion into the state of readiness took place in Nitra-based mechanized battalion, to include implementation of force protection measures at the state of emergency. Thoroughly examined were mainly the plans of the individual groups, which plans are part of a process of reception and equipment of the called up citizens and reception of materiel assets. Chief of Staff Maj Jozef Csáky expressed his satisfaction with preparation and execution of the partial rehearsal. ● The Military Attachés of the US, Russian Federation, Germany and Austria, accredited to Slovakia, made a visit to the Surgeon General’s Office to learn about the organizational structure and tasks of the Preventive Medicine Team and the Rapidly Deployable Outbreak Investigation Team. Director of the Division of Military Medical Services Management – Deputy Surgeon General of the SVK Armed Forces Col MUDr. Jozef Kuca informed them of the organizational structure of the Surgeon General’s Office. The next part of the program was a presentation dedicated to the themes of the Rapidly Deployable Outbreak Investigation Team and the Preventive Medicine Team. At the end of the visit, the military attachés were introduced into the practical activities of the both teams within the framework of the international military exercise BIOHAZARD 2015. ● On 24 April, the session of the Military Council was held on the premises of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade based in Prešov, under the lead of Brig Gen Ondřej Novosad, Commander of the SVK Land Forces. The session was graced with the presence of Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Milan Maxim. Among the points on the agenda was evaluation of the filed declarations of assets, the current state of processing and submitting the service evaluations, as well as training provided and courses run for the whole armed forces at Martin –based Training Battalion. The members of the Military Council also addressed the key tasks relating to the internal organization.
FINABEL negotiations in Trenčín
(22 April) On 21 – 22 April, the annual session of the Land Forces Commanders from the EU countries associated in FINABEL was held in Trenčín. Among the topical issues discussed was the future of the land forces, their role in countering the newly emerging security threats in Europe, integration and coordination of security elements of the European Union countries. This was the focus of the speeches made by State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Miloš Koterec and 2nd Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Maj Gen Pavel Macko. The host of the event, Commnader of the SVK Land Forces Brig Gen Ondřej Novosad, reminded that, during the Slovak Presidency in FINABEL, the number of the members increased from seventeen to nineteen. It was in Trenčín where Sweden and Hungary acceded to the association. The Commander of the Land Forces emphasized that one of the key tasks for the present year is the formation of the Battle Groups. After Slovakia, the Presidency is taken over by Portugal. The flag with the emblem of FINABEL, which is viewed as a symbol of the Presidency, was handed over by Brig Gen Ondŕej Novosad to the Portuguese Commander of the Land Forces Gen Carlos Jeroni.
Anniversary of Ján Iľanovský
(21 April) On 21 April, war veteran Ján Iľanovský, participant of the battle for national liberation, celebrated his 93rd birthday. On this occasion, the Chief of the SVK General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim congratulated him and awarded him the Chief of the SVK General Staff Commemorative Medal Class I. During their informal conversation, Lt Gen Maxim was especially interested in Iľanovský’s rich professional career. Ján Iľanovský joined the army in October 1942 and served in various positions for 35 years. He is one of the last participants of the combat journey of the 1st Czecho-Slovak Army Corps from Buzuluk to Prague. He was a years-long chairman of the regional committee of the Slovak Anti-Nazi Fighters Union in Liptovský Mikuláš. In 2014, the President of the Slovak Republic appointed him as Brigadier General.
We have managed to change half off-road vehicles during three years
(21 April) The SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč handed over to the military 42 new Land Rovers, which followed 28 vehicles that the SVK Armed Forces received in January. The new vehicles were bought via the NATO Support and
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Procurement Agency (NSPA). Since 2012, the SVK Armed Forces own 140 of such vehicles. “During the past three years, we have spent more than 10 million EUR for the vehicles and we have managed to replace more than half of the older UAZ off-roads. Purchase and implementation of these vehicles is another step towards a lower level of dependency on Russian equipment,” briefed the minister. The new off-roads are meant for military units all over Slovakia, which use them for the domestic crisis management most often. When compared to the old UAZ off-roads, these are more economical and have better utility and performance characteristics. “In comparison with UAZ, Land Rover has half fuel consumption. It is a standard vehicle used also by other allied Armed Forces, which means absolute compatibility,” added Martin Glváč.
April 20 - 26, 2015