Sereď-based divers trained search ops at Lake Black Water (17 February) Members of the Reconnaissance Diving Section, Sereďbased Engineer Battalion, were undergoing training in a former dredging lake, called Black Water, preparing for a training exercise to test the swimming capabilities of combat vehicles and the deep water fording capabilities of tanks at the Lešť Training Centre later in May. The first group of divers used a skirmish line formation to search for underwater objects. With the water temperature at 3 degrees Celsius, the divers were tasked with clearing a distance of 400 m. The mission was accomplished in about 80 minutes. Before the diving ops at Lake Black Water, which is 40 m deep at its deepest point, they had undertaken numerous preparatory assignments. “We began training in a swimming pool. There, we practised executing today’s mission. Then, gradually, we made the conditions even more difficult. Our divers would conduct the ops with their diving masks blindfolded, while using just hands. It was an excellent preparatory training for the search ops at Lake Black Water,” explained SSgt Ščepko, Reconnaissance Diving Section Leader. ● On Thursday, 19 February, Commander of the SVK Land Forces Brig Gen Ondřej Novosad made an evaluation of the training year 2014 at his Command Meeting, which was held in the presence of SVK Chief of Defence Lt Gen Milan Maxim and Chief Non-Commissioned Officer of the SVK Armed Forces Command Sgt Maj Vladimír Beluš. He expressed his acknowledgement to the command staff and to the members of the subordinated units for the effort they expended to accomplish the tasks, often under the severely limited conditions, with only austere resources available and in a continuously changing security and operational environment.
A new stage for aviation
(19 February) Transition to a new fleet of aircraft will bring new assignments to the SVK Air Force. In a relatively short period of time changes are expected to have a bearing on all types of aviation equipment. “The most important thing is to select prospective pilots and technicians who will be an asset to the Armed Forces. This means that if we are to invest in their training and preparation, they should not quit the military and return to civilian life in two or three years. To have this even legislatively regulated would be the best way ahead,” said SVK Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. During his meeting with Chief of the SVK Armed Forces General Staff Lt Gen Milan Maxim and SVK Air Force Commander Brig Gen Miroslav Korba, the tasks related to the selection criteria for aircraft crew and ground support personnel as well as the location of new aircraft were assigned. “The retraining of personnel is a long-term process, that’s why it is inevitable that we should start dealing with this issue already now,” emphasized the Minister. Towards this end, he approved a new SVK Air Force Support Branch, to be established directly at the SVK Armed Forces General Staff. “The incorporation of new equipment into the service of the Armed Forces always calls for solutions to numerous technical, personnel and logistics requirements. And this is even more true of the demanding aircraft acquisition process,” explained Lt Gen Maxim. SVK Air Force Commander Miroslav Korba appreciated the steps taken by the Ministry of Defence and the SVK Armed Forces General Staff, oriented towards armed forces modernization: “For the SVK Air Force, this marks a new stage in the history of Slovak aviation.”
● Commander of the SVK contingent in Afghanistan Lt Col Pavel Švelka met with Commander of the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) Base Maj Gen Mehmet Cahir Bakir on his first official visit. He introduced him to the 12-year background of the engagement of the Slovak troops in Afghanistan and informed him of the structure and tasks of the 23rd rotation of the Slovak troops. The Hamid Karzai International Airport, situated 16 km from the centre of Kabul, is one of the main international airports and, at the same time, one of the largest military bases. The SVK contingent’s Headquarters and the national support element (NSE) are based there. ● On 18 February, Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Milan Maxim and President of the Firefighting and Rescue Corps Gen Alexander Nejedlý signed the Implementation Agreement on Cooperation in the field of education and training, which agreement was executed by virtue of the agreement on mutual cooperation concluded by and between SVK Ministry of Defence and SVK Ministry of Interior.
Zuzulová – excellent again
(22 February) Martin Glváč congratulated Veronika Velez Zuzulová, skier, on her excellent second place in the World Cup Women’s Slalom, which she achieved on Sunday in Maribor, Slovenia. The sportswoman from the Military Sports Club Dukla Banská Bystrica (MSC DBB) proved to be among the world’s best again after her last week’s success at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Beaver Creek. “She has again proved to be an excellent slalom skier of international calibre. It pleases me to say that thanks to the outstanding performances of the MSC DBB sportsmen and women, the world can hear about us,” said the head of the SVK MOD. (17 February) 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the SVK Armed Forces Lt Gen Peter Gajdoš met with Col Horia-Emanuel Mocioc on the occasion of his accreditation to the position of Defence and Air Attaché of the Republic of Romania to the Slovak Republic. He emphasized the mutual cooperation between the armed forces of Slovakia and Romania, namely in the field of regular exercises within the multinational project TISA. He highlighted cooperation of the armed forces within the NATO Centres of Excellence, as well as cooperation with the Office of Defence Attaché. Gen Peter Gajdoš expressed his belief that they will further build on the already established excellent cooperation with the outgoing Defence Attaché and wished the new Defence Attaché every success.
● To familiarize with the operations theater in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with the work of the liaison and observation teams (LOT), new Commander of EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina Maj Gen Johann Luif visited members of the SVK Armed Forces. He made a visit to the LOT-house in Novo Sarajevo and subsequently to the LOT – houses in Visegrad and Foca. He introduced his idea of performing the operational tasks to the LOT commanders and wished them every success. ● From 16 February to 6 March, the candidates of the preparatory state service from the initial military training company of Martinbased Training Battalion have been conducting a live firing exercise at the barrier firing range in Sučany. Altogether 188 participants perform a wide range of shooting tasks involving firing from M-58 machine-gun. They will gain the basic skills with handling RG-F-1 grenades. On 25 – 26 February, they will undergo qualification shooting, hence passing through the “marksman” stage of training. Subsequently, they will proceed to the final stage of training dubbed “tactician”, which will be completed by the 24hour-field exercise at the garrison training area Sučany. ● On 17 February, a delegation of the Finabel Permanent Secretariat of the EU Armies organization, headed by Maj Gen Marc Thys, made a visit to the SVK Land Forces Command Headquarters. At his meeting with the SVK Land Forces Commander Ondřej Novosad, they discussed the issue of preparation of the joint annual Conference of the EU Army Chiefs of Staff and the EU Army Principal Military Experts, which is to be held in April in Trenčín.
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(19 February) The European Union’s possible reactions to the current security developments in Europe’s immediate and wider neighbourhood topped the agenda of the two-day gathering of EU defence ministers in Riga on 18 – 19 February. Its importance was underlined by the presence of EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who co-chaired the meeting, as well as that of NATO Secretary General J. Stoltenberg and UN Under-Secretary General Hervé Landsous. The SVK delegation was led by the State Secretary of the SVK MOD, Miloš Koterec. The security environment has seen unprecedented developments since the last summit. Therefore, the strategic direction of the EU’s security and defence policy will be outlined at the next summit, and so is true of new initiatives to strengthen the entire spectrum of the EU’s instruments, ranging from political and military ones, through to the European defence industry and market ones. “The European Council should focus on enhancing the EU’s
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Ukrainians train in Sereď
(20 February) Also this year, the Slovak troops continue to train the Ukrainian experts in the field of de-mining. Five courses for more than 70 participants are scheduled for the current year. The first courses this year were held in the premises of Sereď-based Engineer Battalion. Currently, the specialized course aimed at detection and reconnaissance of the improvised explosive devices has entered its final stage. Fifteen members of the Ukrainian security forces are attending said course. It will be followed by the specialized workshops held in the SVK Armed Forces’ facilities. These build on the courses held at the end of the past year, organized by the Training Battalion based in Martin in cooperation with the Military Technical and Testing Institute Záhorie, the Engineer Battalion based in Sereď, the National EOD Centre in Nováky and the International Centre of Excellence based in Trenčín.
ability to respond to the changes of the security environment, including stronger defence co-operation and capabilities development while using all the available instruments,” noted M. Koterec. The area of communications and the ability to respond to the unconventional, hybrid ways of conducting warfare are becoming the key challenges. In this respect, the Slovak Republic sees a space for closely coordinated cooperation between the EU and NATO. The defence ministers also addressed the issues of EU military operations, the EU’s rapid response capabilities, including the EU Battle Groups. As part of preparations for Slovakia’s EU presidency, M. Koterec held talks with his partners from the Netherlands and Malta, who, along with the Slovak Republic, will constitute the “presidency trio”. They focused on the content of the common draft programme which will set the agenda of the common security and defence policy for their 18-month-long presidency (from January 2016 to June 2017).
February 16 - 22, 2015