We All Face the Same Challenges
Liability Insurance Scandal
(July 1 3) Sl ov akia per cei v es the Unit ed St at es as a s trat egic partn er an d M oD plac es exc epti onal im portanc e on defens e co oper ation with the U.S. , an d it will furth er d e ve lop bil at eral relations in th e defens e ar ea , said MoD´ s Sta te Secretary Miloš K ot erec at th e m ee ting with th e U.S. Deputy Secreta ry of Sta te for European and Euro -Asi an Affairs , M arie Yo v anovi tch. “W e ver y mu c h val u e th e allianc e and pa rtnership with Slo vaki a. The work yo ur troops carry out in in t ernation al op e rations , especia lly in Afgh anistan, is v ery i m portant to us , ” said M. Yovanovitch.
For his part Koterec expressed gratitude for the U.S. assistance in education and training of Slovak troops, as well as for material assistance provided through various programs and funds. He especially accentuated the logistical support program Lift and Sustain, which saves Slovakia a lot of money each year. “I would like to assure you that our strategic goals in the defense area remain unchanged: we stand by our international commitments to reach and maintain sustainable operational readiness of our troops and means to de-
● The 16th National Pilgrimage of the Catholic Diocese of Slovak Armed Forces and Armed Corps was held at Levoča during the second weekend of July. More than two hundred military pilgrims attended the event along with their families, supplemented by policemen, members of the Prison Guard Corps, as well as military representatives from Poland and Germany. More than half a million of devoted worshippers attended the pontifical mass celebrating the Marian feast of the Appearance of Virgin Mary on the Levoča Hill. Pilgrims, among them the Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Jaroslav Vývlek, were welcomed in the local Minorita church by Bishop František Rábek.
(July 9) The previous MoD management executed an overpriced Vehicle Comprehensive Liability Insurance contract (PZP) for its car-pool. The Frame Agreement effec ve for four years (2012 – 2016) has been - according to the recent findings - overpriced by more than 4 mil. euro. Defense Minister Mar n Glváč sees this as a scandal and a serious breach of the Act on Public Procurement, since the tender failed to comply with the principles of equal treatment, non-discrimina on, transparency, effec veness and efficiency. The former MoD management executed the Frame Agreement totaling 9 mil. euro on March 19, 2012, i.e. 9 days a er the parliamentary elec ons. “We refuse to respect this contract and I will personally do everything necessary to change the unfavorable condi ons as they were agreed -upon,” said Glváč. The Frame Agreement contains overpriced liability insurance rates, does not allow for nego a ons on lowering such rates, nor include the op on on premiums for the MoD; the assessment criterion “period of the provision of services - se lement of the claim in days” is not included in the Agreement. The MoD has ini ated nego a ons on how to withdraw from the dubious agreement and issue a new call for tender, which will be fully compliant with the Act on Public Procurement. This me, the principles of equal treatment, non-discrimina on, transparency and effec veness shall be fully respected.
● On July 10th the UNFICYP mission on Cyprus organized the traditional competition in 10 km running for individuals and 15-member teams. The members of the Slovak contingent (SLOVCON) competed therein as well. Each runner and team was given a chance to attend a motivational and physically demanding competition with a goal of strengthening and maintaining relations among the respective Sectors and nationalities participating in the UNFICYP operation. The fastest runner was soldier Maphuruma from the British contingent (BRITCON), who ran the course in 36:05 minutes. The team competition was won by the Argentinean team of Sector 1. The best Slovak runner - Lance Corporal Matej Cmarko - ran the course in excellent 42:50 minutes.
ploy them in NATO and EÚ operations,” said Koterec. U.S. Depu ty Secretary o f Sta te for Europ ean and Euro Asian Af fairs al so ask ed abou t common proc uremen t and strat egic pl an ning proj ect s within the V 4 i nitiati ve . “ W e all face the same challenges having to work with limited defense budgets,” she said.
MoD's 100 Days Stocktaking The first three months under the new leadership brought a whole range of positive signs to MoD: many problems have been if not exactly solved, then at least pushed in the right direction: that counts for the Military Intelligence Services as well as avoiding the slow death of the VOP Nováky Military Repair Works; plus a lot of effort has been invested in making the purchasing process more effective. After Minister Glváč was appointed, he was able, in close cooperation with the Chief of the General Staff, to find reserves of approx. 21 mil. EUR, which are to be used already this year to modernize and equip the Armed Forces. “There was much ado during those 100 days about changes in the early-retirement pensions of soldiers. It is only logical that if the revenues do not enter the system, but at the same time more and more high-rate pensions are being paid out, such a state of affairs is unsustainable in the long run,” said Glváč. He also confirmed that an expert commission consisting of representatives from the MoD and the Armed Forces is working on amendments to the law with the goal of making the system more effective and stabile, while securing its sustainability.
● The final preparation phase of the new RC-N Command and Staff rotation in JFTC rapidly approaches, therefore the key personnel traveled to Afghanistan for the Key Leaders Training, which serves as a readiness test before the actual exercise in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The training contained a briefing on the most recent information and knowledge, thus the team included Col. Pach (SVK A) and Lt. Col. Kutka (POL N), both JFTC members. ● The General Staff HQ in Bratislava welcomed the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army Maj. Gen. Miroslav Žižka for a meeting with the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Miroslav Kocian. Maj. Gen. Kocian informed the Czech guest of the history and the current deployment of Slovak troops in the international crisis management operations. On the agenda were negotiations on the Slovak-Czech cooperation in international operations, in the air force, reciprocal provision of courses, logistics and usage of military training facilities. ● Three hundred military veterans – paratroopers from both Slovakia and the Czech Republic gathered on July 11th in Žilina, at the premises of the 5th Special Forces Regimen. On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Airborne Troops, and the 70th anniversary of the Anthropoid operation, 52 veterans were awarded medals of the Defense Minister, of the Štefan Banič Foundation and of the Military Paratroopers Club of Jozef Gabčík. The veterans enjoyed a show of parachute jump and helicopter airdrop performed by the 5th Special Forces Regimen.
China: No Defense Row (July 12) In the area of defense, the relations between Slovakia and the People's Republic of China are smooth and without problems. This was concluded at the meeting between Defense Minister Glváč and the Chinese Ambassador to Slovakia H.E. Gu Ziping at the MoD. “It is in our interest to develop them further to reach an even higher level,” said Glváč. H.E. Ziping informed Glváč about the upcoming 85th anniversary of the Chinese Army, and they also discussed the possibility to send a Slovak Armed Forces soldier to attend a course at the National Defense Academy in China. According to H.E. Gu Ziping, the attendance of Chinese delegations in courses in Slovakia also has a positive effect.
Defense Minister equipped Olympians with “survival kits” (July 10) Defense Minister Martin Glváč invited sportsmen from the Dukla Banská Bystrica Military Sports Center, who have qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games to MoD. Glváč equipped each our Olympian with a symbolic “survival kit” containing a pocket knife, a baseball cap, a thermos and a T-shirt featuring the MoD logo. “I am happy that you - our Dukla guys - have managed to meet the qualification criteria for the London Olympics. I will keep my fingers crossed for you, as I am quite sure that you will do your best in London. I truly believe that you will proudly represent your country, your club and the Ministry, that stand behind you,” said Glváč. Jozef Gönci, who will represent Slovakia at the Olympic Games for the fifth time thanked the Minister on behalf of all Dukla sportsmen: “I hope that the care and support you have provided us with, will continue in the future,” said the double Olympic bronze medalist. Overall 46 Slovak sportsmen have qualified for the XXX Summer Olympics, 17 of those from Dukla: sporting shooter Jozef Gönci, who will be the flag-bearer for the Slovak delegation, hammer-thrower Martina Hrašnová, triple-jumper Dana Velďáková, long-jumper Jana Velďáková, judoist Milan Randl, speed-canoeists Peter Gelle, Ľubomír Hagara and Martin Jankovec, sporting shooter Juraj Tužinský, water slalom specialist Michal Martikán, weightlifter Martin Tešovič, gymnast Samuel Piasecký, swimmer Miroslava Syllabová and racewalkers Matej Tóth, Miloš Bátovský, Anton Kučmín and Mária Czaková.
eBULLETIN MO SR
July 9 - 15, 2012