Milestone On The Road To Freedom (November 17) On the occasion of the Freedom and Democracy Day Defense Minister Martin Glváč recalled the events of 1989 at the Memorial to Political Prisoners executed and tortured to death by the communist regime at the Ružinov cemetery in Bratislava. “November 1989 was a precious moment in our history. We had united to pursue a clear and long-awaited goal; we fought decisively and bravely for our freedom and liberties,” said Glváč adding that November 17, 1989 became a true milestone putting an end to the totalitarian era and marking the beginning of the period of democracy and freedom. “We and our ancestors had lived under oppression for decades, continuously searching for ways and means how to get rid of totality. We did our best to achieve freedom and democracy. Today we commemorate the victims of the communist regime. We will always remember their contributions to creating a free and democratic country,“ said Glváč. The event was also attended by Ivan Gašparovič, the President of the Slovak Republic. ● The NATO Cyber Defence Exercise - Cyber Coalition 2012 commenced on Nov. 13, 2012. Slovak Armed Forces were represented by the Trenčín Mobile Communications System experts. The main goal of the exercise was to verify cooperation, coordination and management processes between NATO and the respective countries in Cyber Defense, test the ability to interact with the public and private sectors, and assess the national Cyber Defense capability on both the technical and operational level.
There Is No Discord Among Us
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(November 15) The Slovak Republic and Hungary are commi ed to developing bilateral defense coopera on, said the Slovak Defense Minister Mar n Glváč and his Hungarian counterpart Csaba Hende following the mee ng in Bra slava. Twelve years have passed since a Hungarian Defense Minister visited the Slovak MoD. “There is no discord among us in how we view the interna onal situa on; the coopera on in all the missions we take part in is absolutely smooth. We honor the same values and abide by the same rules,” said Glváč. Both defense ministers discussed the ways, in which the military enterprises of both countries could cooperate. They also discussed the specifics of the voluntary military service, which is already in place in Hungary. Merging the military intelligence services was also on the agenda. “Minister Hende, who was one of the ini ators of the plan to merge the military intelligence services in Hungary, assured me that the steps we have undertaken in this direc on are correct and will bring the expected effect,” said Glváč. Csaba Hende spoke highly of the coopera on with the Slovak Armed Forces within the V4 group, and of the prepara ons to form the common EU Ba le Group which should be ready for deployment in 2016. “Mr. Glváč and I have agreed on the plan for future bilateral coopera on. In January next year we will a end the ceremony at Hejce together, to pay tribute to the memory of Slovak soldiers who had died in the airplane crash. It is also desirable for the Slovak Air Force to take part in the Hungarian Air Show,” said Hende. Glváč acknowledged the coopera on of Centers of Excellence (COE) established in both countries, and the pos ng of one Hungarian soldier to the CEO in Trenčín. He also promised to send one Slovak expert to the Budapest COE. When asked about the military enterprises Glváč confirmed that the current economic situa on in the respec ve countries calls for suprana onal coopera on. “These enterprises were build for huge armies, and now they have to undergo a restructuring process to be able to survive,“ explained Glváč.
● On Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012 more than 70 professional soldiers of the Command Support Regimen in Trenčín underwent a test of readiness in Radiation, Chemical, Biological Protection (CBRN), medical skills and topography. The CBRN test included response to threat signals used by the Slovak armed forces, NATO and civil defense; the medical exam tested their ability to provide first aid in life threatening situations; and in topography they had to show skills in map reading, determining distances and verifying their own coordinates.
Italy Is Our Reliable Partner (November 15) We consider Italy an important partner in NATO and the EU, and the MoD is committed to maintaining and further developing partner relations, which are already on a very good level, said the MoD´s State Secretary Miloš Koterec at the meeting with the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Italy to Slovakia H.E. Roberto Martini. “We share interest in good Euro-Atlantic relations. We are partners in Europe and in the military missions abroad,” said H.E. Martini. We had formed close relations with the Italian armed forces during the ALTHEA operation, where Slovak troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina operated under the Italian command. “We'd be interested in strengthening the bilateral cooperation in various areas,” said M. Koterec, adding that details of such cooperation would be discussedin the close future.
● On Nov. 14, 2012 the Multifunctional Support Base West in Nemšová hosted the meeting of the Military Council of the Training and Support Forces Commander (VSVaP). The meeting, presided over by the Chief of Training and Support Forces Col. Martin Stoklasa, was attended by the main VSVaP functionaries and the commanders of directly subordinated units. Main topics of the meeting included: information on the performance of the assigned duties; information on the state of readiness of the VSVaP contribution to the international crisis management; budgeting; the proposed common military doctrine and the proposed new SPS-3-X/Train. tool. ● On the occasion of the Veterans Day commemorating the end of WWI the delegation of the Association of War Veterans from the Czech Republic and Poland visited the Slovak Air Force Command in Zvolen, where they were welcomed by the Air Force Commander Col. Miroslav Korba. The veterans awarded Col. Korba Medal of the Czechoslovak Legion and Medal of the Polish Association of UN Peacekeeping Missions Veterans. ● A training on timber harvesting and processing commenced on Nov. 5, 2012 at the Sučany training facility, Members of the Land Forces engineering battalion train in felling and transporting trees, and processing timber for the purposes of constructing a wooden bridge. Certain volumes of processed timber will be utilized by the Armed Forces units elsewhere. ● The Training and Support Command, the Garrison Club and the Photographers Club in Trenčín organize a Photo Exhibition “Highlands and Lowlands”, which will be open to public from Nov. 15 to Nov. 30, 2012 at the Trenčín Garrison Club. The opening hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Badges of Honor Awarded (November 12) The Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek held a meeting with the delegation of war veterans from the Czech Republic and Poland. On the occasion of the Veterans Day veterans were awarded the Badges of Honor of the 3rd Order. The ceremonial act held at the Hall of Fame was also attended by the Military Attaché of the Czech Republic in Slovakia, Col. Roman Kopřiva. Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek awarded the Badge of Honor to Col. (Ret.) Milan Bachan, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Emil Cigánik, Col. (Ret.) Vojtěch Seidl and Col. (Ret.) Ludvík Štefko of the Czech Republic; and Col. (Ret.) Jerzy Banach and Krystyna Banachova of Poland.
● The simulation center in the Czech town of Pardubice hosted a training course attended by eight Slovak tactical fighter pilots from the Air Force Command in Zvolen and the Sliač airbase. Also attending were three Ground Controlled Intercept operators from the Zvolen Command and Recon brigade. The five-day course included tactical air maneuvers beyond visual range using mid-range and long-range rockets and the NATO Quick Reaction Alert exercise using 8 flight simulators and 2 ground control sims.
Maljutka Roared Over Vihorlat (November 15) The easternmost Slovak military training area Kamenica nad Cirochou (Valáškovce), in the Vihorlat range reverberated by the roar of Strela 9M14M Maljutka anti-tank guided rockets. Operators from mechanized brigades of Prešov and Topoľčany fired almost 80 rockets at targets over 1.700 meters away. Hitting targets with a first-generation Soviet anti-tank weapon, which was introduced in the Slovak army in 1963, is far from easy. The rocket is fired from the firing mechanism's guide rail, which determines the initial direction of the rocket's flight. But the actual flight begins only after the delay mechanism in the control system of the rocket engine jets burns out. The operator has to monitor the rocket's flight in relation to the target location, and relay commands to the rocket to keep it in the finder until the target is hit. “Of course, the best results were achieved by the more experienced operators, who have already mastered the rocket control and its nuances. They are able to read the rocket's mind, guiding it in its flight by the touch of their finger pads,” commented Capt. Peter Pavlík the results of the training.
eBULLETIN MoD SR
Veterans Choose New President The Martin Training Battalion hosted the 1st Congress of the Union of War Veterans of the Slovak Republic (ÚVV SR). Among the guests were the Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek and the Commander of the Martin Training Battalion Lt. Col. Roman Petrík. On the occasion of the Veterans Day the Union members were awarded “War Veteran” medals and honors for their efforts in maintaining and developing the traditions and legacies of the war veteran movement and supporting peace, freedom and democracy in the world. Citing health reasons Col. (Ret.) Ľubomír Kolenčík resigned as the President of UVV SR after 14 fruitful years. He was replaced by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Daniel Brezoňák.
November 12 – 18, 2012