NATO Charity Bazaar
On Sunday, 16 November, NATO HQ in Brussels hosted another NATO Charity Bazaar, which was, as the tradition goes, attended by members of the Office of Military Representative to NATO and EU Military Committees, together with their family members. Each country presented its national meals and products. The Slovak kiosk was tended by the spouse of SVK Military Representative Maj Gen Miroslav Kocian, Mrs. Kamila. Where the collected funds will go will be decided upon in January 2015. The NATO Charity Bazaar is a joint charity event of NATO member and partner states. All proceeds will go to charity for supporting children, people in need, those with health problems and the disabled. Slovak non-profit charity organizations are allowed to apply for donations from the bazaar’s proceeds. ● On Monday, 17 November, SVK President Andrej Kiska and ambassadors of the EU countries participated in an EU flag-raising ceremony. During the ceremony held in front of the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, the EU flag was being hoisted on one of the five poles next to the flag of the Slovak Republic, while the European Union anthem was being played. The ceremony was conducted by members of the SVK President’s Honour Guard. ● Col Milan Hamar, Military Police Director, awarded Capt Ján Žucha, Military Police Operations and Police Enforcement Division Director, with the Military Police Medal Grade 1 in recognition of his dedicated work in favour of the Military Police to mark the end of his duty assignment with the Military Police.
(21 November) Attended by Lt Gen Milan Maxim, Chief of the SVK General Staff, a remembrance ceremony took place for the victims of the 19 October 1944 Nazi slaughter in the village of Tokajík. The memorial service saw the members of the anti-Nazi resistance movement, representatives of the SVK President’s Military Office, SVK government and local government officials, together with delegations from Russia and Ukraine, and many other guests. Alžbeta Medvecová, the last village citizen to survive the furious raging of Nazi soldiers, was awarded the SVK Minister of Defence Medal. The two-day anniversary, featuring an interesting programme, was supported by the SVK Armed Forces.
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(20 November) On 18 – 20 November, an initial planning conference on the international exercise TOBRUK LEGACY 2015 was held at the premises of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (AAMB) Nitra. The exercise will take place during the period from 25 June to 3 July 2015. More than 30 representatives from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, the USA and Slovakia participated in the conference to work out the exercise’s goals. The conference was opened by the exercise commander, Col Miroslav Lorinc, GS, AAMB Nitra Commander, and Col Vladimír Barca, GS, 25th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment Strakonice Commander and named the main goals of the exercise and worked out tasks in the field of planning, training, technical support and logistics. The main goal of TOBRUK LEGACY 2015 is to test the interoperability of five participating units integrated into a single joint task force, to train tactical decision-making while performing combat tasks, and to organize combat firing with portable air defence systems. The exercise will mark the final phase in demonstrating the full interoperability of the ASTRA automatized air defence system, and prove the ability to conduct low level air picture interface with NATO units.
● On 10 – 21 November, the SVK Land Forces Engineer Battalion finished the Train the Trainer C-IED Course, aimed at locating and identifying improvised explosive devices. The course covered the basic theory of IEDs, the principles for identifying the indicators of IED presence, and the procedures for terrain search. A total of 37 service personnel from units and facilities of the SVK Land Forces took part in the course. ● On 18 November, His Eminence Rastislav, Archbishop of Prešov and Metropolitan of Czech lands and Slovakia, paid a visit to the SVK Air Force Headquarters. Archbishop Rastislav thanked Brig Gen Miroslav Korba, SVK Air Force Commander, for the opportunity to hold meetings of Orthodox priests from Central and Eastern Slovakia in the chapel of the SVK Air Force HQ and at the Military Dean’s Office. As a token of his gratitude, His Eminence Rastislav presented Brig Gen Miroslav Korba with an icon of St. Michael the Archangel, the patron of pilots and air forces.
Come with us to the borders
On 17 November, to mark the national holiday and the 25th anniversary of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day, a commemorative event entitled “Come with us to the borders” was held at the BS-8 military bunker at Kopčianska Street, Bratislava — Petržalka. Miroslav Košírer, Chairman of the Let’s Rescue Petržalkabased Bunkers Civic Association, in cooperation with the Institute of Military History, Kittsee Municipal Office, Bratislava Capital of Slovak Republic Municipal Authority, Association of Customs Office and Financial Authority History, and the SVK Armed Forces put on an enactment of state border guarding. A demonstration of MP activity was contributed by members of the Police Enforcement Division Bratislava, Military Police, together with volunteers from the Czechoslovak People’s Army Military History Club Bratislava. Members of the Bratislava-based Recruitment Group put on a static display of a modular load-bearing system and small arms, which were available for visitors. The event involved the participants in an international military goulash cooking completion, with the team of the mayor of Kittsee Municipality as the winning team.
● On 18 November, members of the First Aid Station operating under the SVK Land Forces Engineer Battalion, in cooperation with the National Blood Transfusion Centre, Faculty Hospital Nitra, organized voluntary blood donations for the third time this year. A total of 38 members and employees of the Engineer Battalion participated in the blood donation initiative. Members of the battalion have donated blood 5,800 times since the Drop of Blood event was established by an army engineer in 1993. ● On 18 – 19 November, the Training and Canine Division, Military Police Vlkanová – Hronsek, organized an off-road driving course for members of the SVK MOD. The course centred on honing practical driving skills in all terrain conditions at the Lešť Training Centre. ● On 20 November, the Military Police Operations and Police Activities Division in collaboration with the Police Enforcement Support Division, operating under the Military Police Trenčín, held shooting drills at the training area of the Training and Canine Division, Military Police Vlkanová – Hronsek. A total of 27 service personnel of the said divisions participated in the training exercise, with the overall shooting performance of both divisions rated at 1.
The literary competition of the SVK MOD entered its Phase 2. A total of 210 literary secondary school- and collegelevel contributions entered the contest. The SVK MOD Literary Committee selected the best five papers. They are available at www.mosr.sk/ls2014/ and . The first three winners of the literary competition, entitled “2014 – the year of significant historical anniversaries”, will receive financial rewards of €400, €300 and €200, respectively. Readers of the eBulletin are welcome to vote on the SVK MOD Facebook page.
Muddy tests
(19 November) The Mechanized Battalion Nitra held an intense training exercise at the Kolíňanský Vrch garrison training area on 19 November, with the aim of improving the readiness of tracked and wheeled vehicle drivers. For the drivers, it was the culmination
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of this year’s training and an excellent opportunity to prepare for next year’s challenge to prove their amphibious capabilities. They drilled driving down the stream and through a contaminated area, as well as responding to a minor enemy attack. Because of the rainy weather, the terrain was muddy and made driving more difficult. Earlier in July, some of the exercising soldiers had returned from a half-year tour of duty in ISAF in Afghanistan, as a result they drove their BVP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles in the field for the first time this year. The best to deal with the muddy track challenges were two experienced drivers – Cpl Marek Šnirc and Cpl Tomáš Zabák. Besides driving, troops practiced preparing the vehicles to swim, changing gears, turning vehicles with disconnected tracks, as well as carrying a casualty out of the vehicle.
November 18 - 23, 2014