“One Medal Is a Must!“ (July 27) Right before Friday´s opening of the XXX London Summer Olympics, all 17 representatives from the Dukla Banská Bystrica Military Sports Center (VŠC) were healthy and ready to compete in their respective disciplines. “Dukla has the largest number of representatives among all the Slovak sports clubs in the 46-member Olympic team. Our sporting shooter Jozef Gönci shall be the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony on Friday,” said the VŠC President Dušan Poláček. The first Dukla sportsman to compete at the Olympics was Juraj Tužinský on Saturday in the air pistol competition. The same day saw the qualifying round for the gymnast
Spain Wants Closer Cooperation (July 24) Spain is interested in deepening the defense cooperation with Slovakia, said the Spanish Ambassador to the Slovak Republic H.E. Félix Valdés y ValentínGamazo at the meeting with the Defense Minister Martin Glváč. “We would very much like to be among the countries you cooperate with closely,” said H.E. Valdés. “You show excellent results in the disposal of unexploded ordnance and the work your troops carry out is highly valued abroad, especially by the U.S. We also have rich experience in this area, and maybe this is where we could collaborate specifically. I also see possibilities for cooperation in the area of radiation, chemical and biological protection and the military industry,” said the Spanish Ambassador. Minister Glváč confirmed Slovakia´s interest in deepening the defense cooperation with Spain. “Specific areas of cooperation should be defined by the representatives of our Armed Forces. On our part, the authorized person would be the Chief of the general Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek. We could move forward only on the basis on military expertise,” stressed the Defense Minister.
Samuel Piasecký. On Sunday, July 29, the qualifying awaited Michal Martikán in the canoe slalom. On Monday, July 30 Jozef Gönci will compete in the 60 rounds air pistol. On August 1 Milan Randl will compete in judo, and the last to represent Dukla and Slovakia will be Mária Czaková on August 11 in racewalking on 20 kilometers. What results does the newly appointed Dukla President (since June 21, 2012) and the former athlete representing Czechoslovakia in the modern pentathlon expect? “In the words of our Chief of the Sports
● The MoD acknowledges the recommendations made by the Ministry of Finance to save on expenses. This year the MoD has saved more than 25 million EUR against the current year plan. Most of the savings come from halting tenders other than those crucial for the operation of the defense sector. “The planned purchase of computers, electronic equipment, office machines and equipment, furniture and tools have been put on hold,” said the Ministry spokesman Milan Vanga. In the infrastructure the MoD succeeded in lowering the planned expenditures on the utilities, inner and outer cleaning and maintenance, and also put on hold several planned tenders on the procurement of military materiel. ● On July 26, the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek met the Military Revival Association delegation representing soldiers and former employees of the military administration, who have been fired in the years 1948 to 1989 due to political reasons, and rehabilitated after 1989. “It is in our interest to have civil associations tied to the Armed Forces participate in the conscription training of civilians in the future. We also need them to actively participate in the strengthening of historical awareness and military traditions,” said Lt. Gen. Vojtek, acknowledging that he will do his best to help define and codify the frame of such collaboration in the relevant laws.
Development Mjr. Ľubomír Roško, one medal is a mist, two would be nice and three would be excellent.” Poláček, who was prior to his appointment the Chief Coach for Dukla Youth, adds: “In direct competition with the best world athletes, anything more than finishing sixth would constitute an extraordinary success.” These Dukla athletes have won gold medals at the Summer Olympics: Anton Tkáč (1976 – track cycling), František Kunzo (1980 – football), Jozef Pribilinec (1988 – racewalking), Michal Martikán (1996 and 2008 – canoe slalom), Elena Kaliská (2004 and 2008 – canoe slalom). Overall Dukla won 15 medals at the Summer Olympics.
Battle For Hron Replicated (July 28) Tens of contemporary military vehicles including T-34 tanks; a cast of 400, displays of activities of the police force, rescuers, members of the Slovak club of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, the first “gig” of the MissArmy Slovakia contestants – all of those contributed to an extraordinary event called Battle for the Hron River in Starý Tekov on July 28. The event organized jointly by the members of the Confederation of Slovak Military History Clubs, Jozef Hostinský and partners, the MoD and the Slovak Radio and TV, under the auspices of the Defense Minister Martin Glváč, is a true reconstruction of the battle from March 25, 1945, when the Soviet Army and the Romanian troops broke through the defenses of the German Wehrmacht, marking the beginning of the so called Bratislava-Brno operation.
● On the basis of an “Administrative Order” issued by the Commander of the Land Forces, a verification exercise of soldiers designated for the ISAF operation took place at the military unit 1049 Sereď on July 23, 2012. Twenty one soldiers mainly from the Air Force and Training and Support units were examined from tactical preparation, musketry, radiological, chemical and biological protection, engineering and communication equipment, language skills, first-aid and military topography. All the soldiers passed the exam. ● On July 25, 2012 an evaluation of the 2 nd Quarter of the training year 2012 took place in the Logistics Support Group (SLPS) Headquarter followed by a meeting called by the Deputy Commander of SLPS Lt. Col. Róbert Kecső. Speaking to the commanders of the subordinate units he acknowledged that despite difficulties in meeting the goals set for the 2 nd Quarter, those goals were reached. He thanked the VSLPS commanders and leaders for personal examples, management and organization work.
MoD on Air and Online For several weeks now the MoD has been present on air – we have followed up in the best traditions of military radio broadcasting, and in collaboration with Slovak Radio and Television we bring the information on current affairs at the MoD to the audience. Programs hosted by Miro Minár are aired each Monday on Radio Regina (Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, Košice) after 3 p.m.; and the “military show” is broadcasted on Radio Slovensko each Wednesday within the Radio Afternoon program at 4.47 p.m. (This Wednesday the show is devoted to the Military Repair Works VOP Nováky). All editions of the eBULLETIN and this year´s editions of the OBRANA monthly are on the Internet: www.mosr.sk/obrana/ or www.mosr.sk/ebulletin/.
Intelligence Services Will Unite (July 24) Such is the outcome of the amended Act on Military Intelligence moved by the Slovak Parliament to second reading. According to the proposed legislation, commencing on January 1, 2013 the counterintelligence service (the Military Defense Intelligence - VOS), and the intelligence service (Military Intelligence VSS), will become one specialized service. The new service will be titled Military Intelligence and it will be tasked to carry out services of domestic and foreign intelligence to the defense of the Slovak Republic. Currently VSS focuses on obtaining information from abroad; the task of VOS is to eliminate the activities of foreign intelligence organizations on the Slovak territory. Anew, both services will report to one Director, similar to the Slovak Information Service (SIS). The Defense Minister Martin Glváč submitted the amended law on the basis of the approved Government Program, wherein the Cabinet also announced its further plans concerning the secret services. The Government plans to apply more effective control mechanisms to prevent leaks of confidential materials and secure the increase in the trust in intelligence services. That will, however, be treated in the comprehensive Act on the Intelligence Services.
Debate on Military Pension System Initiated
prolonging the service term, decisive for the en tlement to the military pension, adjus ng the perilitary pensions and social 60 million EUR annually. However, lion EUR. The system as it stands centage of contribu ons deducted security for Army veterans the total sum of pensions paid out now is unsustainable in the long from the wages of ac ve soldiers resonates not only in the media run - if we fail to come up with a by the MoD annually amounts to and introducing a special deducbut especially within the ranks of 160 million EUR, i.e. a 100 million change now, there will simply be on from the military pension that the MoD´s employees. more (!). The difference is covered no funds le in a few years to pay would go directly to the Special Following a parliamentary Act the pensions! out of the MoD´s budget. Fund. Interannually the difference bepassed in the last days of June, The Ministry of Defense has a Of course, the MoD has no intween the revenues and the exwhich stopped indexa on of the plan how to stabilize both the Spe- terest in making decisions without military pensions this year, the Min- penditures in the pension fund in- cial Fund and the overall system of the input of those concerned by creases by 8 to 9 million EUR. It istry of Defense faced a dilemma soldier´s welfare – including them most. Therefore we hereby what to do next. The Special Fund, means that if in 2011 the Ministry amending the Acts 328 and 346 . ini ate a broad interdepartmental of Defense had to subsidize the which pays out military pensions The MoD works with various alter- debate, which should result in a each month, is credited from contri- military pensions by 102 million na ves, whereby currently the clear agreement on what to do bu ons deducted from wages of ac- EUR, the assump on is that this most effec ve and livable one next. Martin Glváč, Defense Minister year it will be more than 110 milve soldiers with approximately seems to be the combina on of
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eBULLETIN MoD
July 23 - 29, 2012