Danish Special Forces train at Lešť
(May 4) The exercise of the Special Forces of the Kingdom of Denmark has been held in the Military Training Centre Lešť since 26 April. 69 soldiers, equipped with their own equipment, are taking part in the exercise aimed at combat in a built-up area. For the Danish troops, namely for their Special Operations Forces, the Military Training Centre Lešť presents a unique opportunity to undergo a comprehensive training in a real life environment, using a live ammunition. The Military Training Centre Lešť also provides the soldiers from the Kingdom of Denmark with the accommodation and leisure-time facilities, as well as boarding and medical facilities. “Our ambition is to invest the finance obtained for the exercise directly in the training centres to make them even more attractive for the prospective trainees that might choose to use them,” said Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. ● On 14 – 17 April 2014, the 4th annual competition BEST ARTILLERYMAN OF THE SVK GROUND FORCES was held in the Centre of Simulation Technologies of the Armed Forces Academy of General M. R. Štefánik in Liptovský Mikuláš. 58 competitors, two of them from the Army of the CR, took part in the competition. All of them demonstrated expert knowledge and practical skills. Capt Ján Hric, Commander of the reconnaissance battery of the rocket launcher division of the SVK Ground Forces, ended first and won the competition; Capt Ľuboslav Havrilla, Commander of the 1st rocket launcher battery, ended in the second place and Capt Tomáš Hanák from the Army of the CR ended in the third place.
Memorial ceremony at Bradlo (May 3) On Saturday, SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč a ended a memorial ceremony dedicated to the memory of General M. R. Štefánik at Bradlo. “M. R. Štefánik had done a lot not only for Slovakia but also for the interna onal community. Therefore, it is our duty to remember him because his poli cal and diploma c career is a model worth following even today,” said SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč. In his statement, President and Commander-inChief of the Slovak Armed Forces Ivan Gašparovič said: “He exerted all his strength to see his ideas materialize. Towards this end, he fought on many fronts – scien fic, diploma c and military.” According to the President, Slovak society is obligated to promote Štefánik's message. “Today his original ideas are ripening in our sovereign, democra c and law-abiding country – the Slovak Republic,” said the President.
Our commitments are duly honoured
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(April 28) In response to the situa on in Ukraine, the SVK Ministry of Defence has taken all the necessary steps to enforce the Slovak Republic's security interests and to deliver on its EU and NATO membership commitments. “We con nue to prefer a diploma c solu on to the Ukraine crisis,” emphasized SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč. In this regard, he went on to highlight the close coopera on of the V4 countries. “Ukraine has asked us for material and technical assistance.” At the level of the Visegrad Group, we have agreed to deliver the material aid to our Ukrainian counterparts a er the elec ons, which are due on 25 May, so that all the security measures may be fully guaranteed,” explained the minister. “Our assistance will involve especially equipment and spare components.” In connec on with Ukraine, NATO has highly appreciated the work of our military intelligence agency. “It has been proven that the merge of our intelligence agencies was an adequate move. Our contribu on is high quality personnel and high quality products,” emphasized the minister. Joint NATO exercises are beneficial to the SVK Armed Forces. Last year Slovakia hosted what had been NATO´s largest logis cs exercise over the past 10 years – Exercise Capable Logis cian 2013. This September, Slovakia will organize an internaonal air exercise, codenamed Exercise MACE XVI.
● The unit declared as the SVK contribution to a possible deployment in EUFOR ALTHEA operation (Bosnia and Herzegovina) has completed its training by the tactical exercise OLYMP. The task force, which is composed of units of the 2nd mechanized brigade, operated on 29 – 30 April on the territory of districts Michalovce, Trebišov and Sobrance. The operation was carried out in a real-life environment and the command staff could also rely on experts and assets of live simulation MILES 2000 from the Military Training Centre Lešť. The control group of the Commander of the SVK Ground Forces ascertained that the ALTHEA unit is prepared and ready to deploy, if required by EUFOR Commander to do so. The unit will be on stand by from 1 May until the end of 2014. ● On the War Veteran Forum, the representatives from the war veterans’ organizations, members of the SVK Armed Forces and representatives from academia have discussed the issue of ensuring that war veterans in Slovakia receive due and proper care. The conference was held on 30 April in Trnava, and was organized by the War Veterans Union of the Slovak Republic. Col (Ret.) Pavel Marko, Chairman of the Union, and other guests, stressed the need to exercise due diligence to ensure that war veterans in the SR receive decent respect and proper care. ● On Tuesday, 29 April, on the premises of the 5th Special Forces Regiment in Žilina, the departing Chief of the General Staff of the AF SR Lieutenant General Peter Vojtek bid farewell to the key personnel of the Regiment. On that occasion, he awarded the members of the 5th Special Forces Regiment with a memorial plaque with words of appreciation and recognition. He particularly appreciated the Regiment Commander’s special approach to the performance of tasks and awarded him with the Badge of Chief of the General Staff of the SVK AF, 2nd Grade. ● Members of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Group S-300 of Nitrabased Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade took part in the exercise held at the end of April in the training area Kolíňanský vrch, in the vicinity of Nitra. The exercise was part of S-300 preparation for the multinational exercise of the air forces MACE XVI, which will be held in September in the Slovak Republic. ● On 29 April, a vernisage of the exhibition “The Czech and Slovak troops in France in 1939 – 1940” was held in the Garrison Club (GC) Bratislava. The audience, which was primarily made up of chairs of clubs and associations operating in the GC, heard an interesting lecture by Col (Ret.) Jozef Bystrický, curator of the exhibition. The exhibition is the second of the series of three exhibitions devoted to the respective anniversaries we mark this year. It will be open for public from Monday to Thursday, from 8 to 18 hrs, until 26 May, in the GC Bratislava, sq. Dulovo nám. 6.
M. R. Štefánik's comeback
(May 2) After 60 years the general public will finally be able to see the face of General M. R. Štefánik as it was designed by Bohumil Kafka, a Czech sculptor, in 1938. The original bronze statue was removed from the front of Bratislava´s Reduta building in the 1950s. Hidden in the depository of the Slovak National Gallery in Zvolen, only the face section of the original statue has been preserved to date. A bronze cast of the face measures 92cm in height and weighs 80kg. “That the face section of M. R. Štefánik´s statue still exists was a big surprise to me. No sooner had we learned that it could be put on public display than we did our best to make it happen. Such a great luminary of Slovak history – M. R. Štefánik – definitely deserves our attention,” said SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. The public will be able to view the original face of General M. R. Štefánik in the premises of the Primate's Palace in Bratislava between 6 – 16 May. The exhibit will form part of an exhibition that the Slovak Ministry of Defence is putting on to commemorate the 95th anniversary of M. R. Štefánik's tragic death and the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. The exhibition, entitled “Štefánik´s Face Hidden for 60 Years Again in Bratislava” is dedicated to his life, military career and the circumstances surrounding his tragic death. The exhibition is being organized by the Slovak MOD in cooperation with the Slovak Republic Capital City Bratislava Municipal Authority, M. R. Štefánik Foundation, and Slovak National Gallery.
Competition Štúrovo pero
The 19th annual nationwide contest of the young journalists from the ranks of the Slovak secondary and university students, dubbed “Štúrovo pero” (Štúr’s Pen), has been held in Zvolen. On the evaluation held on 26 May, the members of the jury regarded highly the magazines that deal, along with the typical student issues, also with the military issues and traditions. The award of the monthly Obrana (Defence), which is a journal issued by the SVK MOD, and that of the Personnel Office of the SVK Armed Forces – Recruitment Group Banská Bystrica, went to the editorial teams of the journal Nulák (Zero) issued by the Secondary Electro-technical School (SPŠ) in Poprad, for their article entitled “Kosovo…soldier…three children…fruit” and the journal News of Faith, issued by the Secondary Grammar School of St. Constantine and Methodius in Nitra, for their article entitled “Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat”
Advisors in Afghanistan successfully represent Slovakia SFAT regularly participate in sports competitions organized by Coalition units at KAF. Six members of MSF SFAT took part in a competition organized by the UK Armed Forces Contingent. Eight teams, representing six nationalities, began their day by a strenuous 5-km run, kept overturning a 200-kg wheel tyre, ran 800m with stretchers, and pushed a military vehicle, followed by a total of 10 individual disciplines to complete. The Slovak team was represented by 1st Lieutenant Ivan Petrík, Private First Class Martin Fiala, Corporal Martin Ščibran, Corporal Andrej Mlynár, Corporal Michal Černák and Private First Class Lukáš The Slovak Mobile Strike Force Security Forces Vnučko, all of them members of the 12th Mechanized Advisory Team (MSF SFAT), based at Kandahar Battalion Nitra. The overall winner of the competition Airfield (KAF), carries out exacting training tasks at a was the team from Australia. The Slovak team nearby Afghan base – CAMP HERO. Besides being succeeded in winning the car pushing competition and fully committed to their main mission, members of MSF ranked 5th in the final evaluation.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
April 27 - May 4, 2014