Brig. Gen. Nálepka commemorated in Ovruč In the Ukrainian town of Ovruč a ceremony was held commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of late Brig. Gen. Ján Nálepka. The memorial dedicated to fallen Slovak soldiers deployed to Ukraine by the wartime Slovak Republic as part of the Support Division was unveiled in downtown Ovruč. Nálepka was the chief of the staff of the Division's 101st Infantry Regimen. Slovak Armed Forces were represented by Brig. Gen. Juraj Krištofovič of the General Staff and by the Slovak Military Attaché to Ukraine Col. Vladimír Suchodolinský. Representatives of the Interior Ministry, the Slovak Union of Antifascist Fighters, and the Union of War Veterans were also present along with members of the Generals´ Club, which had financed the memorial mostly out of its own funds. MoD´s Director of the State Administration Section Daniel Kostra decorated the mayor of Ovruč Valerij Vladimirovič Švab with the Commemorative Medal awarded to Ovruč by Defense Minister Martin Glváč for participation in the fight against fascism.
A Number Of Common Themes (September 21) Slovakia and Poland wish to intensify their defense rela ons by strengthening their mutual coopera on within the V4 group in the areas of training, equipment, defense industry and military ventures. Plus, the Polish side could chip in its experience in the air defense. Such are the results of talks between Defense Minister Mar n Glváč and his Polish counterpart Tomasz Siemoniak. “It is not our goal to issue declara ons. We will search for topics and deliver specific results. Neighbors deserve rela ons of a different quality than what we had with Poland in the past in the defense area,” said Glváč. He and his Polish partner have agreed on se ng up workgroups, which would be tasked with defining avenues for specific coopera on between the two countries. In the words of the Polish Defense Minister Siemoniak, the countries could cooperate more closely in logiscs, but also on a poli cal and military level. “We have a number of common themes pursuant to ourNATO and EU membership,” he said. Defense Minister Glváč confirmed the iden cal a tude of both countries to the ISAF opera on in Afghanistan. “We stand by out commitments. Together in, together out,” he said. Glváč believes both countries could cooperate more intensely in training. Polish soldiers could use the unique Slovak training facility at Lešť, while Slovak soldiers could train at modern training facili es in Poland. The place of the mee ng - the border town of Wisla on the Polish side - was appreciated by both ministers. “Border towns have their own charm: both Mr. Siemoniak and I have felt the spirit of our respec ve homelands,” said Glváč.
● On September 17, 2012 on the occasion of the Day of the Slovak Air Force the military airbase on Sliač organized a ceremonial parade at the memorial dedicated to airmen fallen during the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) and in allied missions. Serving members of the Slovak Air Force were complemented by former military airmen. Commander of the Slovak Air Force Col. Miroslav Korba awarded the latter the following honorary badges: “Meritorious Military Pilot”, “Meritorious Air Navigator” and “Meritorious Flying Air Navigator”. ● On September 18, 2012 the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek visited the Analytical and Support Center (VAaZC) of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection (RCHBO) in Čereňany. The goal of the visit was to check the compliance with the order to organize a comprehensive field training with live toxic and chemical materials. Pursuant to this order the members of the Rožňava RCHBO Battalion conducted a training from Sept. 16 to Sept. 21, 2012 with toxic chemicals in the RCHBO Training Center in Zemianske Kostoľany. The goal of the training was to practice the coactions of the Rožňava RCHBO Battalion members in detecting and decontaminating live toxic chemicals, and also to further enhance the skills and experiences of VAaZC RCHBO employees in supporting the training. ● On Sept. 19, 2012 Defense Minister Martin Glváč traded-in the government–issue limousine for a rickshaw, thus supporting the 11th annual European Mobility Week project, held from September 16 to September 22, 2012 in more than 35 countries worldwide. The goal of the campaign is to promote alternative modes of transport and a less frequent usage of private automobiles. ● On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 the 24th Slovak rotation to the UNFICYP mission arrived in Cyprus, consisting of 76 male and 6 female Slovak soldiers. The unit's mission is to keep the status quo of the ceasefire between the warring parties, contribute to maintaining the law and order on the island, and perform humanitarian tasks. A team member - Master Sergeant Andrea Petrová - replaced Staff Master Sergeant Štefan Husár as the Commanding Officer of both the Slovak contingent and the entire Sector 4, which is under the Slovak command. Petrová is the first female petty officer to hold this post. ● The interest of the Slovak Republic to maintain strategic longterm partnership with the National Guard of Indiana was confirmed by the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec during a meeting with the Commander of the National Guard of Indiana, the honorary citizen of Bratislava Maj. Gen. Roy Martin Umbarger on September 20, 2012. Koterec thanked Umbarger for the support National Guard of Indiana provided the Slovak Armed Forces in the form of human capital and materiel; and expressed his belief that together we would be able to find further avenues for cooperation, e.g. in training the Air Force or in the fight against terrorism. ● On September 20, 2012 members of the Training and Support Forces (SVaP) Command held a ceremonial parade to commemorate the Slovak Armed Forces Day. At the parade the Presidential Address to the Armed Forces Day was read aloud. At the conclusion of the event the Commander of the Training and Support Forces Brig. Gen. Ľubomír Svoboda thanked all SVaP members for work carried out to the benefit of the Training and Support Forces Command.
Opening The Door For Iraq (September 17) Bilateral relations between Iraq and Slovakia, and their development dominated the meeting between the Ambassador of the Iraqi Republic to Slovakia H.E. Matheel Dhayif Majeed Al-Sabti and the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec. Koterec expressed his belief that the cooperation between both countries contributed to making Iraq stabile, prosperous and safe. In this regard Koterec mentioned the forthcoming signing of the Agreement on Defense Cooperation, on the level of Defense Ministers of Iraq and Slovakia. The State Secretary also proposed that the Iraqi used the MoD´s training and education capacities, namely the education course for junior officers in the Armed Forces Academy in Liptovský Mikuláš; the training facility specializing in training with live chemicals at the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Center in Zemianske Kostoľany; as well as the exchange of experience in the area of explosive ordnance disposal between EOD CEO and the Iraqi National EOD Center.
Lt. Gen. Vojtek In Romania During the NATO Military Committee session in the Romanian town of Sibia, the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek met the Commander of the Allied Command (Transformation) Gen. Stéphan Abrial. On the occasion of the latter's retirement from the office, Vojtek expressed his gratitude for cooperation and assistance in building the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of Excellence in Trenčín and awarded him the Commemorative Medal of the Chief of the General Staff of the Ist order.
NATO Demonstrations and Trials 2012
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(September 18) The MoD´s Secretary of State Miloš Koterec opened the exposition of state-of-the-art technologies and devices for ordnance disposal NATO Demonstration and Trials 2012 in Trenčín by ceremonially cutting the ribbon in front of the Trenčín´s EXPO Center pavilion, assisted by NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investments Patrick Auroy, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Jamie Shea and the MoD´s Armament Director Gabriel Merňák. The official opening was also witnessed by the Head of the Slovak permanent delegation to NATO,
ambassador František Kašický, and the top brass of the Slovak Armed Forces led by the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek. The event, one of this year's largest NATO activities in Slovakia, was organized by the NATO´s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Center of Excellence (EOD COE) based in Trenčín, the first official NATO institution in Slovakia. In the words of EOD COE´s Director Col. Jaroslav Bielený, “the main goal of the event was to provide a platform to companies, research and development institutions, and training centers specializing in ordnance disposal, for presenting new
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technological solutions and innovations aimed at improving the capabilities of EOD operators in protecting the civil population.” From September 18 to September 21, 2012 the representatives of various scientific institutions, organizations and companies specializing in ordnance detection and disposal presented the latest technologies and products in ordnance disposal. Following up on the “NATO Industrial Days in Slovakia” seminar held at the IDEB 2012 International Fair, the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec met NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investments Patrick Auroy and NATO
Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Jamie Shea. Both NATO officials attended the NATO EOD Demonstration & Trials 2012 event in Trenčín as well as the Seminar on Defense Investments in the Context of Current Security Challenges, the goal of which was to provide information and exchange ideas on the impact of decisions adopted by the heads of states and governments at the NATO summit in Chicago. The main topic of the seminar held at the MoD as a part of the NATO Demonstration and Trials 2012 event was “Optimizing the Development of NATO Capabilities”.
September 17 - 23, 2012