10th Battle of Hron reenactment
(25 July) By replicating the battle scenes of March 1945 on Saturday at Starý Tekov, being the 10th such reenactment so far, enthusiasts from military history clubs paid tribute to the memory of the battles waged along the Hron river. The event, held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the SVK Government, featured static and dynamic SVK Armed Forces demonstrations, a SVK Police Corps’s presentation, a display of historic vehicles, and a demonstration of training involving Red Army and Wehrmacht troops. In his speech to the audience, the 1st Vice Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces, Lt Gen Peter Gajdoš said: “It is my pleasure that we are able to continue with this tradition by making our small contribution to the success of this beautiful event, which is traditionally organized in July, as well as presenting capabilities in the context of historic events.” To mark this occasion, he handed over the SVK Chief of the General Staff Badge to Jozef Hostinský, the main organizer of the event and laureate of the 2014 Military Deed of the Year Award, for his support and development of cooperation between the SVK Armed Forces and the Tekov Military History Club, as well as for his personal input to the development of Slovak military traditions on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. Over the course of their 10-years-long history, the Battle of Hron reenactments have grown to become the greatest event of this kind in Slovakia and one of the biggest in Europe, bringing together 300 reenactors dressed in historic uniforms and equipped with weapons drawn from the collections of military history clubs from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belarus, Romania and Hungary. Over the past years, the audiences have not declined below 13,000 visitors. The event also hosted a wreath-laying ceremony at the Battle of Hron Memorial to commemorate the combat operations of 25-27 March 1945.
● On 15 July, Garrison Rožňava organized the 2nd Annual Memorial Run dedicated to members of the SVK Armed Forces who had lost their lives while serving on international crisis management operations outside the territory of the Slovak Republic. The event, organized by members of the Rocket Launcher Detachment (RLD) and the CBRN Battalion, was attended by 76 runners. The cross-country run was started by Lt Col Oliver Toderiška, Garrison Commander. On the 7,160m long circuit, leading near the Slaná river and the Sedlo trigonometric area, Lt Peter Sedliak of the RLD had the best running time at 28:47 min.
Visit from Vietnam (27 July) The State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence, Miloš Koterec received a delegation from the Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF). The main topic of discussion was the hitherto bilateral defence and security cooperation, as well as areas of its further development. “I am pleased to note that meetings of the MOD top representatives of both countries have gained in intensity. Today we can identify several areas of potential interest where cooperation could yield palpable outcomes beneficial for both parties,” said State Secretary Koterec. Efforts to step up cooperation were declared by both countries with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation during the June visit of SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč to Vietnam. While in Slovakia, the Vietnamese delegation received a tour of the Lešť Training Centre, viewed flight simulators at the Sliač Combined Wing, as well as visiting the Prešov Helicopter Wing. “Our training and education capacities aimed, among other things, at military aviation, are fully available to members of the Vietnamese People’s Army. We’ll be happy to provide our expertise and experience to the Vietnamese Army,” added Miloš Koterec.
M. Koterec held talks in Poland
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(23 July) The State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence, Miloš Koterec met with Robert Kupiecky, the UnderSecretary of State of the Polish National Defence Ministry, in Krakow to discuss the current issues of political and defence cooperation, preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, and military and technical cooperation. “The development of the security environment has reconfirmed that the measures we adopted at the NATO Summit in Wales are justified and need to be projected into the conceptual area,” said Miloš Koterec. As the currently valid NATO Strategic Concept does not fully reflect the actual needs of its members, for the upcoming summit in Warsaw it is inevitable to set new goals and develop a concept, one which will clearly respond to the actual situation. The priority of bilateral cooperation is placed on the signing of an agreement between the Government of the Slovak Republic and the Government of the Republic of Poland on cooperation in the field of military air traffic services. As early as 2011, Slovakia signed a similar agreement with the Czech Republic and is now seeking to extend this cooperation across the entire Visegrad Group. During the meeting, the partners also paid attention to bilateral armaments cooperation.
● On Monday, 20 July, a change of command ceremony took place at the Rocket Launcher Detachment (RLD). The event was attended by Col Karol Navrátil, GS, HQ Chief of Staff; Lt Col Oliver Toderiška, Garrison Rožňava Commander; as well as Pavol Burdiga, Town Mayor. The post of RLD Commander was handed over to the current RLD Deputy Commander, Lt Col Ľubomír Bodnár. On 1 August, Maj Ján Hric, the outgoing RLD Chief of Staff, will assume the appointment of RLD Deputy Commander, and Cpt Marek Ucháľ will be appointed as the new RLD Chief of Staff. The ceremony was concluded with a parade. ● A combat live fire exercise involving the mortar units of the 13th Mechanized Battalion was held on 15-16 July. Day 1 of the exercise began with the firing of the vz. 52 82mm mortars and the vz. 98 81mm mortars in semi-direct aiming mode. Day 2 of the exercise saw the vz. 97 98mm mortars engaging in indirect fire. Mortar crews and commanders were drawn from among the ranks of the battalion’s mortar units – the Mortar Platoon of the Combat Support Company and the Fire Support Platoons. The main goal of the combat live fire exercise was to deepen and improve the unit members’ practical skills while fulfilling the most difficult firing tasks; to improve the commanders’ leadership skills; to strengthen the commanders’ skills in commanding and controlling the firing; as well as to strengthen the level of coordination and preparedness of individuals, and their readiness for combat deployment. ● A Marching and Running Competition on a 5km long track with a 45kg load took place at the beginning of July in an Afghan camp with the altitude of almost 1900m above sea level and the morning temperatures reaching up to 30° C. Due to the high demands of the competition, two competitors collapsed and did not finish the race. The event was organized to support the families of the fallen and wounded soldiers in Afghanistan, and was attended by more than 30 participants. Slovak soldiers from the 5th Special Operations Regiment took the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th places. In this way members of the 5th Regiment paid tribute to the memory of their fellow combatants, Patrik Fraštia and Edmund Makovník. In the evening, the soldiers lit candles at their memorial.
Infantry Division marks jubilee
This year, professional soldiers of Prešov-based General Rudolf Viest Mechanized Brigade together with their former colleagues celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 10th Infantry Division, which is historically the first predecessor of the formation. Members of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade continue cultivating its traditions and contribute, through their service, to spreading its historical message among next generations. For the past seventy years, they have been participating in the defence of the Slovak Republic, fulfilling the commitments following from international agreements, and providing aid to the citizens in clearing the consequences of natural disasters.
SVK AF hosts VPAF guests
(22 July) On Tuesday, 21 July, SVK Air Force Commander Miroslav Korba welcomed a delegation of the Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF), briefing them on the tasks, goals and activities of the SVK AF. Col Miloš Mosný introduced Zvolen-based Command, Control and Surveillance Brigade to the guests, who then moved on to the Sliač Combined Wing, where the delegation was welcomed by Col Vladimír Lisý, GS. The programme at Sliač was manifold: a multimedia presentation of the base, flight simulator demonstrations, as well as static demonstrations of L-39, MiG-29 and Mi-17 aircraft. On Wednesday, 22 July, the delegation was welcomed by Lt Col Peter Fabišík, Colonel General Ján Ambruš Helicopter Wing Deputy Commander. The guests familiarized themselves with the history, structure, functions and main tasks of the unit, and then tried out the pilot training on the Mi-17 Moder flight simulator. The programme continued with demonstrations of the prescribed works on Mi-17 and Mi-17 SAR helicopters.
U.S. cadets on visit to the 5th Special Operations Regiment (24 July) The third week of July saw Žilina-based 5th Special Operations Regiment hosting U.S. Army cadets. Throughout the summer months, a total of 27 soldier trainees from 20 states in the U.S. are attending a variety of training programmes and courses in Allied countries. Such deployments are geared towards raising the awareness of cadets about local culture and mentality. Col Casey Randall, the commander of the “Slovak” group of cadets, who works with cadets at the Texas Christian University in Fort Worth in his capacity as a Military Science Professor, remarked that while he is staying with his students in Slovakia, a similar group of cadets is visiting Poland. The U.S. ca-
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dets are staying in Slovakia for three weeks. They had several options of military units to choose from. During Week 1, they gained experience with Žilina-based SOF personnel, while Week 2 and 3 will see them training at Rožňava Garrison and the Lešť Training Centre. According to Col Randall, experiences made in the presence of the regimental instructors on and off the home base of the 5th Special Operations Regiment have surpassed all the expectations with which the U.S. cadets arrived in Slovakia. The cadets from the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Centre (USA ROTC) will be visiting Military Unit 7945 Rožňava on 20-24 July.
July 20 - 26, 2015