Training of the Czech CBRN Specialists (October 11) The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Specialists of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic attended Toxic Leak 2013, a training exercise with toxic chemical agents, from 7 October to 11 October in Čereňany. The mission of the Training Analytical and Supply Centre (TASC), CBR Defence Facility Čereňany was to conduct a training for the specialists of the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological Protection Brigade from Liberec. The aim of the training was to detect and decontaminate real toxic chemical agents and the training itself was a follow-up to the international chemical training TOXIC VALLEY 2013. The Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, Major General Ján Gurník, together with the Commander of the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological Protection Brigade at Liberec, Colonel of GS Radek Černý, visited the training specialists. The guests at the TASC CBR Defence Facility Čereňany were received by the Commander Lieutenant Colonel Martin Stanko. The partners from the ACR appreciated the unique opportunity to manipulate with real chemical agents, especially from the psychological perspective, which has a great influence on the quality and speed when fulfilling the tasks of an anti-chemical unit. ● After concluding their preparation and training, 155 new professional soldiers took a military oath and graduated in the Training battalion in Martin on 4 October. In the ranks of graduates there were candidates to a preparatory state service as well as cadets from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Gen. M. R. Štefánik in Liptovský Mikuláš and cadets from the civilian universities. The 1st grade cadet Ing. Matej Javorka was awarded as the best graduate of the military training, which cadet will start his military carrier in the Transportation wing of General M. R. Štefánik in Kuchyňa.
Minister at Conference (October 8) Slovak soldiers will stay in Afghanistan un!l the end of 2014. Any decisions concerning further ac!ons within the framework of NATO shall be made a"er the presiden!al elec!ons. The Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic conÞrmed this informa!on at the conference called Afghanistan and Beyond: Challenges in Defence Educa!on and Training. “Based on the request of the Afghan government, NATO is ready to take measures to launch a new opera!on a"er 2014, however, of a different nature. Its main purpose will be to train, advise and assist the Afghan Security Forces, including the Special Forces units,” he said. He reminded that the Afghan Security Forces did not exist 10 years ago. “Today, they represent a formidable force that numbers 352 000 personnel. However, the funding of such forces will be a challenge.” According to the Minister, opera!onal experiences show that although military means are decisive, they are not sufficient when facing a wide spectrum of security challenges: “A military conßict may be won, but securing peace is a more complex task.”
Slovak Security Forum (October 7) “The last 20 years of independence and sovereignty in the history of Slovakia represent a story of success of a country which with great determina!on took to the road of responsibility for its own fate,” said the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Miloš Koterec on Monday, 7 October, during his inaugural speech at the 7th Slovak Security Forum. Representa!ves from the state ins!tu!ons, non-governmental organiza!ons and academia met in the University Library in Bra!slava to analyze, inter alia, the past two decades of Slovak foreign, security and defence policy. The exhibi!on of the photographs capturing the last 20 years of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic was part of the Forum.
● On, 7 October, the exhibition “The Czechoslovak Army in the Middle East and Northern Africa (1940-1943)” opened in the Garrison Club in Trenčín. It was prepared by the Club of Military History of the Anti-fascist Resistance in concert with the constituent organization of the Slovak Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters in Trenčín 1. Its aim is to commemorate the members of the Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No.11 – East and the 22Oth Czechoslovak Light Anti-aircraft Regiment - East, which operated in 1940 – 193 in the Middle East and Northern Africa. The Military Central Archive in Prague and the Military History Archive in Bratislava supplied historical photographs for the exhibition, some of them being publicized for the first time. The exhibition will last until the end of November.
Exhibition at the MoD (October 10) An exhibition of the art of disabled artists will be held by the Ministry of Defence for two weeks. The exhibition will be open for the public every working day from 1 pm to 3 pm. The national exhibition of the art of disabled artists was declared open by Martin Glváč, the Minister of Defence, who assumed patronage of the exhibition. “I’m convinced that these sorely tried disabled fellow citizens can also better integrate into life and community this way. As the Head of the Ministry of Defence, I see a particular symbolism in the contrast between power and fragility,” said the Minister. The national exhibition of the art of disabled artists will be open until 25 October 2013 in the premises of the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic.
● 4 members of the Air Force Headquarters put their skills to test in the 90th annual International Peace Marathon in Košice, which was held on 6 October 2013. Major Robert Senček, Major Peter Klekner, Captain Mikuláš Bystriansky and Captain Slavomír Adam represented the Air Force in the 42- km relay race. Altogether 125 four-member teams took part in the marathon this year, with the members of our Armed Forces ending in a keen competition in the 11th position. The Chief of the General Staff of the AF SR Lieutenant General Peter Vojtek was also present to give support to our sportsmen. ● On 9 October, the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the AF SR Lieutenant General Peter Gajdoš made a visit to the Antiaircraft Rocket Brigade in Nitra. It was his first visit of the brigade since his appointment to the new position. The Commander Colonel Miroslav Lorinc introduced the role of the anti-aircraft rocket brigade and informed of the tasks performed by the brigade in this training year. ● During the two training weeks in September and one in October, the Military Missions Training Unit in Martin focused on preparation of a new contribution to ISAF. The Slovak Mobile Strike Force Kandak Advisory Team will advise the Rapid Reaction Manoeuvre battalion of the Afghan National Army as from January 2014. The main portion of the theoretical preparation in the first part of the training was aimed at the elementary information on the area of deployment and on the specific standard procedures applicable in ISAF operation. The troops who are to serve in the advisory team practiced their practical skills in the situation exercise SAFE MOUNTAIN. ● On 9 October, the State Secretary of MoD SR Miloš Koterec met with the First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Daniel Koštoval in the Defence Academy in Brno to assess the progress made in the field of bilateral cooperation. They discussed the topical issues like the upcoming meeting of the European Council in December, at which the issue of development of the common security and defence policy will be addressed. Equally, they evaluated bilateral cooperation already established in certain fields and a possibility of extending such cooperation to all the V4 countries – to mention just the field of defence planning and the joint training.
Inspection meeting
An inspection meeting was held at the Armed Forces Academy Simulation Centre from 24 September to 26 September 2013 to address the issue of the training of the Czech air traffic controllers with the use of the air traffic control (ATC) simulator LETVIS. Representatives from the Military Aviation Authority of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, the Office of Military Aviation of the Slovak Defence Ministry, and the Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik took part in the inspection meeting. The negotiation of the Czech committee was based on the temporary approval of the Military Aviation Authority of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic from April 2013 to operate renewing and refresher trainings for the air traffic controllers of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic in order to gain qualification in APS with the RAD and PAR ratings on the simulator. The Slovak representatives presented and explained to the committee the process of awarding the qualification certificate for the ATC simulator LETVIS. The Czech committee preliminarily stated that the simulator meets the requirements of the regulations and standards for the training of the air traffic controllers of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic at the Armed Forces Academy. The official statement will be announced within 30 days.
Battalion in Michalovce certified in Lešť as NATO Deployable Reserve
www.mosr.sk/ebulletin/
(October 10) Combat ready – that is the verdict of the multinational NATO verification team which in Lešť, from 7 to 9 October, verified preparedness of the Slovak 22nd battalion group declared as NATO deployable reserve force. The assessment and evaluation of capabilities of the battalion group was confirmed on Thursday by the Chief of the Slovak – Danish – Turkish verification team Colonel Miroslav Hatala, who verified and certified the Slovak unit during the tactical exercise with a combat firing practice COMMON CHALLENGE 2013, which was held in the Military Training Area of the Military District in Lešť. “Certification of the mechanized battalion group is viewed as the fulfillment of the significant international commitment of the Slovak Republic to the Alliance,” said the Minister of
when needed home during natural disasters,” added the Minister. “To prepare the mechanized battalion group for the operational deployment in case NATO poses such a requirement and to achieve the evaluation COMBAT READY was the top priority task for the Land Forces this year,” stressed the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic Lieutenant General Peter Vojtek. In 2014 – 2015, our contribution will be a highly trained unit, with the 22nd mechanized battalion from Michalovce being one of the major constituents of the unit. In the process of certification, altogether Defence Martin Glváč. “Our citizens can take 1 060 soldiers with 284 pieces of equipment pride in the fact that our soldiers are highly demonstrated a high level of coordination and trained to perform tasks in military missions synchronization of the combat activities they abroad as well as to provide assistance and aid engaged in.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
October 7 - 13, 2013