Indiana National Guard Commander in Slovakia
(23 September) On Tuesday, SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč and Chief of SVK General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim welcomed Maj Gen Courtney Carr, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard (ING). He was visiting Slovakia for the first time since being appointed to the current position. One of the reasons for his visit was the international exercise Slovak Shield 2015, which was also attended by members of the ING. “The participation of the Indiana National Guard in our exercises, whether we consider Exercise Slovak Shield or last year’s Exercise Ground Pepper, gives our Armed Forces an excellent opportunity to train together. We test the ability of our troops to react to threats in co-operation with Allies and verify our interoperability. I am glad that our relations are very active and friendly,” stated Martin Glváč. He expressed conviction that the finely tuned co-operation would continue to develop in the years to come. It should, in a more intensive manner, be now concerned with generating capabilities for the SVK Armed Forces, such as new Black Hawk helicopters. Accompanied by Maj Gen Milan Maxim, Chief of the SVK General Staff, Maj Gen Carr then visited the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NC SR). He met with Jaroslav Baška, Chairman of the NC SR Defence and Security Committee, as well as with Peter Pellegrini, Chairman of the NC SR. After that, Maj Gen Carr visited Lešť Training Area, where he met with the exercising ING soldiers. Then he visited Sliač AFB and, on Thursday, Maj Gen Carr attended Exercise Slovak Shield 2015. ● On Monday, 21 September, the SVK MOD Club hosted an opening ceremony of the painting exhibition by 1st Lt Lenka Zvalová, a staff member of the Bratislava Garrison Headquarters (BA GAR HQ). The exhibition, titled eLZitko, will be held until 2 October at the SVK MOD Club. Lt Col Roman Grnáč, Deputy Commander of the BA GAR HQ, welcomed Maj Gen Pavel Macko, 2nd Vice Chief of the General Staff, and other guests to the exhibition’s opening ceremony.
Slovak Shield 2015
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(24 September) The largest military exercise in the modern history of the SVK Armed Forces, Slovak Shield 2015, culminated on Lešť Training Area. According to SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč, wide-raging international exercises contribute, to a great extent, to soldiers being better prepared to perform tasks in crisis situations, whether in Slovakia or in the international environment. He reminded that the exercise had brought together 4,000 soldiers and 600 pieces of equipment and incorporated various ground movements. The exercise was the culmination of Phase 4 of the homonymous training cycle directed at a complex rehearsal of all types of activities the SVK Armed Forces get to perform. On Thursday, 24 September, also in attendance at the exercise was Andrej Kiska, SVK President and Commander-inChief of the SVK Armed Forces. “Exercises such as Slovak Shield 2015 are necessary for soldiers to get thoroughly prepared to defend our country, and to learn to communicate and co-operate with Allies and troops from other countries,” he stated. Among the guests were representatives of participating countries, including, most notably, Maj Gen Courtney Carr, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, and Air Vice Marshal Graham Stacey, Deputy Commander of NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum. They viewed a sequence of Operation Iron Fist, as troops made a transition from the defensive to the offensive, and subsequently overcame a water obstacle. The Chief of SVK General Staff, Lt Gen Milan Maxim exen plained that the troops rehearsed various tasks arising out of ops reh law. “The goall was to rehears rehearse protecting the independence of our country, coun as well as to find a solution for fo different crisis situations,” he explained. Besides members of the SVK Armed Forces, Exercise Slovak Shield 2015 brought S together soldiers to from the Czech Republic, public Poland, Hungary and the USA. Slovak Shield 2015 was concluded with a closing muster on Dolné cl Dlhé Diely Training Area, Lešť Military District. Brig Col Martin officer commanding the exercise and Prešovrtin Stoklasa, offic basedd Mechanized Brigade Commander, appreciated the perMechani formance ce of members of the Multinational Joint Task Force. The next step will be to analyze results and draw conclusions, so the next joint exercise to be held on our territory is a further qualitative step in mutual co-operation of NATO Armed Forces in protecting the territorial integrity of Allied countries.
● 47 members of the Communications and Information Systems (MOKYS) Base Ružomberok were tested in basic combat skills as individuals and as a small-sized combat group. The intensive field training of the active duty soldiers unfolded on Kaleník Signals Field Training Area. Members of the 3rd Centre executed assigned missions along the PSC Kaleník – Jamník – Jakubovany – Peterská Sadienka – Pribylina – Vavrišovo – PSC Kaleník route. ● As part of Armed Forces Day, the Bratislava Garrison Club hosted Bratislava Garrison Culture Day on 23 September. Organized for the public in Dulovo Square, the official program kicked off with a concert by the Military Band of the SVK Armed Forces and was followed by a performance of the Pontoon Men Band, Bratislava. As part of the event a series of exhibitions were held at the premises of Bratislava Garrison. ● On 25 September, the director of the Military Police, Col Milan Hamar, awarded the Military Police Medal, Grade III, to members of the Police Corps of the Interior Ministry – Col Csaba Faragó, Director of the Regional Directorate of the Police Corps in Bratislava, Col Dušan Válek, Director of the District Directorate of the Police Corps in Senec – for their significant contribution to developing cooperation with the Military Police. ● On 24 September, members of Prešov-based Mechanized Brigade commemorated the 125th anniversary of the birth of Gen Rudolf Viest, after whom the Mechanized Brigade received an honorary title, based on the order of the President of the Slovak Republic of 3 September 2007, for its excellent performance of combat tasks, training and the provision of combat readiness.
Armed Forces Day (22 September) A ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day was held in M. R. Štefánik Square in Brezová pod Bradlom with the participation of the State Secretary of the SVK MOD, Miloš Koterec, and the Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces, Lt Gen Milan Maxim. Speaking at the ceremony, State Secretary Koterec noted: “This day belongs to our Servicemen and women and is a celebration of the mission they chose to live up to, maybe even in light of the historical message of the Slovak Volunteer Force. At the same time, it is to remind the citizens of our country that they can always rely on our soldiers getting their job done professionally and responsibly.” To mark Armed Forces Day, Chief of the General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim awarded medals to selected SVK Armed Forces personnel in recognition of their exceptional individual commitment to executing operational tasks. Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Milan Maxim said: “It is important to regularly remind the Slovak society of the key role the SVK Armed Forces have been playing in guaranteeing the security of our motherland. That’s why we should be proud of and feel respect for our soldiers who have discharged their duties in a highly responsible manner throughout the existence of the SVK Armed Forces.” At the end of the commemorations, members of the ceremonial gathering laid wreaths at the 1848-49 Voluntary Campaigns Memorial in Prietržská Road. Armed Forces Day commemorates the anniversary of the historically first armed resistance by Slovak volunteers against oppression, which occurred on 22 September 1848 near Brezová pod Bradlom. Defending the State against military threats and providing assistance during natural disasters are the main tasks that the SVK Armed Forces members prepare for on a day-to-day basis.
● A homecoming ceremony for the SVK Armed Forces soldiers returning from UNFICYP, a UN-led peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, was held on 25 September in Nitra. The commander of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, Col Miroslav Lorinc, welcomed Brig Gen Jindřich Joch, Brig Gen Miroslav Korba, Commander of the SVK Air Force, CSM Vladimír Beluš, Chief NCO of the SVK Armed Forces, CSM Peter Kuk, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and other guests. Brig Gen Korba expressed his appreciation to the soldiers returning from UNFICYP, conveying his thanks for the job well done and for the soldiers’ excellent representation of Slovakia.
M. Glváč: “High quality armed forces matter to MPs.”
(25 September) In plenum of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NC SR), both coalition and opposition MPs supported the bills put forward by the SVK MOD. On Friday, 25 September, the MPs voted for the long-awaited Bill on State Service of Professional Soldiers. “We led a constructive debate with the opposition MPs and the negotiations over the bills were more than fair,” stated SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. Supported by the opposition MPs, the Amendment of the Constitutional Law on Security of the State in a Time of War, State of War, State of Belligerency and State of Emergency was also adopted. Thus, highly important bills on defence of the State were submitted for the second reading. “The opposition MPs are free to improve our model, just as it was with the Act on State Service of Professional Soldiers. By proposing the Bill on Voluntary Military Training, we would like to enable interested candidates to obtain basic knowledge and skills necessary to perform tasks of the SVK Armed Forces,” said Martin Glváč. An Amendment of the Act on Compulsory Military Service is part of the Bill and sets forth a change of the use of Active Army Reserves.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
Accordingly, these could be employed in peacetime to perform the tasks of the SVK Armed Forces. Chief of the SVK General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim welcomed the adoption of the Bill on State Service of Professional Soldiers: “It will contribute to optimizing the conditions of active duty service for professional soldiers. We are interested in stabilizing subject matter specialists in the Armed Forces.” Among the important changes in the above-mentioned State Service Act is the addition of Permanent State Service and ShortTerm State Service to the current types of State Service. The maximum periods of State Service have been changed, and age limits for individual military ranks have been extended. The Act also introduces new rules for shaping the professional soldier’s career and strengthens the authority of commanders upon promotion. It abolishes the Warrant Officer Corps and its ranks are being transformed into the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps. Since it is expected that state service of some professional soldiers will last until the age of 55, two more pay grades have been added to the military pay scale chart.
September 21 - 27, 2015