Sporting Success in Moscow (August 14) A sportsman from the Military Sports Centre Dukla Banská Bystrica, the athlete Matej Tóth ended in an excellent 5th place in the 50 km race walk in the World Championship in Moscow. “I am glad to have once again an opportunity to congratulate a sportsman from the Military Sports Centre Dukla Banská Bystrica on walking an excellent time and achieving a world-class result. I do believe that Matej will be making further progress and that in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 he will win a yearned-for medal,” stated the Minister of Defence of the SR Martin Glváč. Master Sergeant Matej Tóth has been a member of MSC Dukla Banská Bystrica since 2003. His greatest achievements so far include 8th place in the Summer Olympic Games in London, 9th place in the World Championship in Berlin 2009 and 1st place in the World Cup Chihuahua 2010. ● In the premises of the garrison training area Kolíňanský vrch, the members of the 3rd mechanized company in Nitra completed a task which proved the synchronization of the crews. Together with the combat shootings of the crews it was the last test before the deployment to the OPREH 2 (Operational rehearsal) in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 1 April to the end of the year, the company from Nitra was reserved as a back – up unit for the ALTHEA operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Intermediate Regional Reserve). Therefore, a support crew from the units in Hlohovec and a couple of professionals were added to the company. It has got a total number of 125 members. In the first half of September in the OPREH training in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Slovak soldiers will carry out the tasks together with mainly the Austrian members of the ALTHEA operation.
Minister on Working Visit (August 15) The Minister of Defence Mar!n Glváč came to see the two soldiers who had suffered wounds in Afghanistan and are now hospitalized in the Central Military Hospital in Ružomberok. “I am very glad to see that they are well on the road to recovery. However, both of them will receive further treatment and subsequently they will have to undergo rehabilita!on,” said the Minister. On his working visit to central Slovakia, Mar!n Glváč met with the employees of the Personnel Office in Liptovský Mikuláš, as well as with the future professional soldiers, who, within their ini!al military training, a%ended lectures in the Academy of the Armed Forces. Deputy Director of the Personnel Office Milan Litvaj informed the Minister of the current state of compe!!ve tenders for the selected posi!ons in the Armed Forces. According to the facts and Þgures given by the Personnel Office, demand of ci!zens for work in the Armed Forces has slightly increased in the past two years. To-date, there are 500 candidates for 90 posi!ons. “I am glad to hear that the young genera!on evinces interest in joining the Armed Forces. I do believe that they are not driven merely by economic or Þnancial security but that this work really appeals to them. The precise requirements are established for the recruitment and selec!on procedure, that specify the current needs of the Armed Forces. What we view as the posi!ve trend is that we have a fair number of females applying to join the Armed Forces,” said the Head of Defence Department. The greatest interest in joining the Armed Forces is traced in the eastern Slovakia, the slightest one in the district of Trnava. “On joining the Armed Forces, every new member is briefed on the possibility of being detached to any unit within the whole territory of Slovakia to perform his du!es,” stated Lt.Col. Dana Šintajová from the Personnel Office of the Armed Forces. The Minister informed of the launched project of voluntary military prepara!on. As he said, some elements of the ini!al military training will be included into the training of the ac!ve reserves.
● On Monday 12 August 2013, a course for active noncommissioned officers (NCOs) started in the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy. The aim of the course is to train the selected professional soldiers serving as active officers of a unit. The course is primarily focused on mastering and professional understanding of applicable laws, military regulations, service tools and internal normative acts, which the officers will deal with in their daily professional practice.
Shooting Practice in Záhorie (August 14) The Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Peter Vojtek verified the live combat firing of the MiG- 29 and L- 39 military aviation equipment on ground targets which took place in the premises of the shooting range in Kuchyňa on Wednesday, 14 August. During two training days, the training squadron carried out four takeoffs with live ammunition with total number of 200 fired bullets of 23 mm caliber from the GŠ 23 (L29) and GŠ 30.1 (MiG-29) air cannons. The training squadron’s Commander Lieutenant Colonel Roman Poláček evaluated the results as excellent. The combat squadron met the planned objectives of the training with the same ratings thanks to satisfactory conditions. The shooting practice is a very significant part of the preparation for the RAMSTEIN ROVER training in September in the Czech Republic.
● The morning of 12 August at the Mixed Wing based in Sliač belonged to the handicapped children from the summer camp organized by the PONS civic association from Banská Bystrica. The program was prepared by the professional soldiers, and by the staff of the Biological Protection Brigade of the airport, of the Military Fire Brigade, and of the Technical Work and Repairs Squadron. ● The Chief of Mission Support Jennifer Boggs from Nicosia HQ visited the premises of the Sector 4 in the UNFICYP operation and was welcomed by Adolf Uličný, the Sector 4 Commander. The main topic of the meeting was the requirement for providing maintenance and repair, primarily the reconstruction of the social, accommodation and storage facilities in the General Štefánik Camp, as well as providing meals for the members of the Sector and connecting drainage from the camp to the public supply. The Chief of Mission Support promised financial means to carry out repairs and reconstruction of the building structures, which are part of the sector. ● On 15 August, the Staff Office of the Armed Forces of the SR held the Traditions day for 76 cadets and applicants of the preparatory civil service from the Training Battalion in Martin. They attended lectures focused on traditions of the Armed Forces and military symbolism. Part of the Traditions day was the tour of the Hall of Honor and the Hall of Fame of the Academy of the Armed Forces in Liptovský Mikuláš with a wide collection of the exhibits or the expositions of fine art and sculpture pieces. The Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic Martin Glváč came to greet the cadets and the applicants for the preparatory civil service. ● First aid training for drivers took place at the Division for Training, Education and Specialized Preparation of the Department for Specialized Medical and Veterinary Activities of the Surgeon General’s Office in Ružomberok based in Liptovský Mikuláš on 13 August.
Meeting of Generations (August 17) On the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the Meeting of Generations in the former village of Kalište, which was burnt out and razed to the ground by fascists in March 1945, the Prime Minister of the SR Róbert Fico invited the teachers and the parents to talk to their children about the Slovak National Uprising. The descendants of the inhabitants of Kalište, antifascist fighters, unionists and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages participated in the Meeting of Generation event. The PM praised the bravery of the inhabitants of Kalište, who hid the partisans in their homes and helped them to assist the wounded in the local partisan hospital. According to Stanislav Mičeva, the director of the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica, which is one of the co-organizers of the event, the Meeting of Generations became one of the key events commemorating World War II.
Last Rotation of Military Advisory Team Comes Back Home from Afghanistan
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(August 12) On Monday, 12 August, a parade ceremony was held in the Training battalion in Martin on the occasion of return of the last rotation of members of Combat Service Support Military Advisory Team from their engagement in ISAF operation. The welcome ceremony was held in the presence of the Commander of the Operations Control Centre (CRO) of the Staff of Operations of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the SR Colonel Daniel Zmeko, major John Dimeling and Lieutenant Colonel Matthew H. Nuhse from the Office for Defence Cooperation, the US. The Commander of the Training and Support Forces (SVaP) of the AF SR Col. of the GS Martin Stoklasa appreciated the approach of all the members of the operational mentoring and liaison teams, later on military advisory teams, who, during their deployement, were the first Slovak soldiers de-
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ployed beyond the coalition bases. The SVaP Commander expressed his thanks to the representatives of the Office for Defence Cooperation and to the Embassy of the US for their support in preparation and deployment of our contributions to ISAF operation. He extended his thanks also to the families of the soldiers for their support over the deployment and to the Training unit of military missions for the training provided for the teams, which attests to an optimal set up of the selection, training and preparation procedure in the Training and Support Forces of the SR. The ceremonial parade of the Military Advisory Team returning from a tour in Afghanistan was concluded by the award of medals “For Service in military operation ISAF” and the commemorative badges of the Commander of the Training and Support Forces of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic.
August 12 - 18, 2013