Kocian Meets EUFOR ALTHEA Reps in Bosnia The position of the Slovak contingent in the new EUFOR ALTHEA structure was the main topic of discussions between the Deputy Chief of the General Staff Maj. Gen. Miroslav Kocian and the Commander of Multinational EUFOR Forces Maj. Gen. Robert Brieger. The talks took place in Sarajevo on September 10, 2012 in the course of Kocian´s two-day mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the goal of which was to meet the EUFOR command representatives, and visit the Slovak troops. Maj. Gen. Kocian next visited the Slovak members of LCC and LOT commands in Novo Sarajevo and Visegrad, and had a meeting with the Commander of SWISSINT-EUFOR-ALTHEA Armed Forces International Command, Col. Fridolin Keller of Switzerland.
Defenders for Defense (September 10) Defense Minister Mar n Glváč along with the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek ceremonially handed over 70 new Land Rover Defenders. Glváč wished the soldiers who will use the new vehicles the best of luck. “This is the first huge contract, which the Ministry was able to bring to life using NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) services. In procuring equipment the agency u lizes interna onal compe ve environment, which forces suppliers to provide be er contractual terms and the best equipment available,” he said. The Chief of the General Staff is also content with the new vehicles. “They represent another important milestone in replacing our old equipment, the opera on of which was anything but cost– effec ve,” said Vojtek. “Let us hope the day, when we would hand over the last UAZ to the Military museum, is really close,” he added. Even a er taking the delivery of 70 new automobiles, the Slovak Armed Forces will s ll use 98 UAZ vehicles, aged approx. 20 years on average. As Glváč repeatedly claimed, his aim is to maximize the effec veness of the Defense Ministry opera on, and significantly contribute to replacing the old equipment.
Athletes Must Get The Best (September 11) Defense Minister Mar n Glváč cares about the development of the Dukla Banská Bystrica Military Sports Center (VŠC). Its management has submi ed a strategy for 20122016, which the Defense Minister disagreed with, and returned it to the management for a revision. The submi ed document lacked concept, did not reflect the exis ng financial situaon nor the development of the VŠC Dukla Banská Bystrica. “Slovakia must not only applaud the sportsmen who won the Olympic medals. We need to provide them with adequate condions,” said Glváč. VŠC Banská Bystrica was founded under the decree issued by the Defense Minister of the Slovak Republic on January 1, 1998, and provides training, organiza on, healthcare, financial and material support for military athletes. In individual sports VŠC has achieved top results among all the sports clubs in Slovakia. In 2009 athletes from VŠC DUKLA won 45 medals at the European and world events; in 2010 they won 46 medals and in 2011 a total of 31 medals.
● As of September 1, 2012 the EUFOR ALTHEA mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina has a new structure in place. Liaison and Observation Teams (LOT) responsible for monitoring the security situation in the country and informing the EUFOR command now fall under the newly created centralized office - the The LOT Coordination Centre in Sarajevo. Lt. Col. Róbert Zebegney, the commander of the Slovak contingent to the EUFOR ALTHEA operation, was appointed the LCC Commander. ● On September 12, 2012 the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec met the Chairwoman of the Joint Defense and Security Committee of the Bosnian parliament Dušanka Majkić. At a business lunch Koterec informed the distinguished guest on the current status of the MoD, and introduced the visions of the new MoD´s leadership for the future. D. Majkić acknowledged the willingness of Slovakia to assist BiH in its transformation process by sharing experience, and confirmed BiH´s interest in Slovak defense experiences. Koterec reiterated that the MoD is willing to send its experts to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and/or welcome experts from the BiH Defense Ministry and share its experiences with them. ● From September 12 to September 22, 2012 the NATO Multinational Military Police Battalion (MNMPBAT) will conduct an exercise called Sharp Lynx 2012 at the Polish Army military training facility Wedrzyn, West Poland. The battalion consists of military police troops from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia. The goal of the exercise is to verify the battalion's readiness to fulfill its duties in the world's crisis spots as a part of a larger task force under NATO command. 42 Slovak military policemen participate in the exercise. The platoon of the Prešov military police unit led by Master Sergeant Maríán Lenčéš is supplemented by crime scene investigators and Slovak representatives in the MNMPBAT Command and in the exercise command. ● On Wednesday, September 12, 2012 professional soldiers belonging to the Land Forces Command were tested in shooting skills. More than 60 professional soldiers verified, strengthened and improved their skills in pistol shooting at the garrison shooting range in Lipovník near Topoľčany. Soldiers also trained in basic combat topography and medical assistance skills. ● From September 14 to September 16, 2012 the Romanian town of Sibia hosted the Conference of the NATO Military Committee organized at the level of Chiefs of the General Staffs of the allied countries. The top-level military representatives - among them the NATO Strategic Commander (Operations) Admiral James G. Stavridis discussed the current situation and the future of NATO operations in Western Balkans; further steps in the fight against terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea. The discussions also concentrated on the strategy, goals and plans for the future NATO training mission in Afghanistan after 2014. The Slovak delegation was led by the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, assisted by the Slovak military representative to the NATO Military Committee Lt. Gen. Peter Gajdoš.
Replacements On Land... (September 11) The SNP garrison in Trenčín saw the ceremonial change of guard attended by Defense Minister Martin Glváč and the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek. The Commander of the Land Forces Maj. Gen. Ján Salaganič, who had served in this job for two years, turned it over to Brig. Gen. Ondřej Novosad, the former Deputy Commander of the Land Forces. The ceremonial act was witnessed by commanders and flag carriers of subordinate units.
...And In The Air As of September 15, 2012 the Slovak Air Force has a new commander - Col. Miroslav Korba, who succeeded Maj. Gen. Martin Babiak. The official ceremony was held at the Sliač airbase, attended by the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec and the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek. The official inauguration of Col. Korba was witnessed by representatives of all military aviation and air defense units. The atmosphere was further enhanced by a flyover of three MiG-29 fighters.
Glváč Tightens Up The Rules Defense Minister Martin Glváč aims to change the rules for selling spare military apartments managed by the Defense Ministry´s Housing Agency (BARMO). Glváč disagrees with the manner, in which the apartments have been sold lately and has removed Milan Sáska from the office of BARMO´s director. Despite the fact that the Act No. 278/1993 on managing the state property has not been breached, Glváč believes Sáska, who was responsible for the sales of apartments, failed to explore all options to sell the apartments more effectively.
NATO Codeword: Cohesion (September 13) Cooperation in developing defense capabilities, “smart defense”, the ISAF operation in Afghanistan and several other topics tied to our NATO membership dominated the meeting between NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Dirk Brengelmann and the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec. The debate concentrated on the potential in the current complicated situation with respect to the defense budgets, and also on ways how to help strengthen the transatlantic partnership and cooperation. “Cohesion is the word of the alliance these days,” said Dirk Brengelmann. “We can only be credible iif we are coherent.” Koterec informed NATO’s Assistant Secretary General that the MoD is in the final stage of developing the White Book on Defense, which defines the defense priorities of the Slovak Republic both domestically and internationally. Dirk Brengelmann asked about the Slovak plans for the ISAF operation in Afghanistan, mentioning that for NATO the operation brought home certain lessons: “We were looking around how to organize partners. We believe it will be less partners in the future missions. The more partners there are, the more complicated the coordination.” Miloš Koterec reiterated Slovakia's interest to retain its presence in Afghanistan by providing teams specializing in training and supporting the Afghan army, including deploying a number of instructors, mentors and in the long run also Special Forces units. At the end of the meeting both representatives agreed on continuing the dialogue during Koterec´s upcoming visit to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
September 10 - 16, 2012