The Armed Forces of the
Slovak Republic
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's ...
were divided from the
Czechoslovak Army
The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá armáda'') was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary.
History
In t ...
after dissolution of
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
on 29 March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. Slovak armed forces numbered 19,500 uniformed personnel and 4,208 civilians in 2022.
Organization
Joint Operational Command
Joint Operational Command in
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
(Commander:
2 Star General)
Ground forces
*
1st Mechanized Brigade
*
2nd Mechanized Brigade
* 5th Artillery Regiment
* 91st Engineer Regiment
* 22nd Reconnaissance Regiment
* 71st Command Support Battalion
* 103rd Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Battalion
Air force
The Slovak Air Force, officially the ''Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic'', has been defending Slovak airspace since independence in 1993. The Slovak Air Force currently comprises one
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
of
fighters, one wing of utility
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
s, one wing of transport aircraft, and one
SAM brigade. It operates around 20 combat aircraft, as well as 10 helicopters from 3 air bases: Malacky/Kuchyňa Air Base, Sliač Air Base, Prešov Air Base. The Air Force is currently part of the NATO Integrated Air and Missiles Defense System –
NATINADS
The NATO Integrated Air Defense System (short: NATINADS) is a command and control network combining radars and other facilities spread throughout the NATO alliance's air defence forces. It formed in the mid-1950s and became operational in 1962 as ...
.
Special Operations Forces
*
5th Special Forces Regiment
* 51st Training Base in
Žilina
Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...
* 52nd Airborne Battalion in
Jamník
* 57th Separate Section in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
82nd Joint Support Brigade
* 3rd Command Support Company, in
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...
* 4th Logistic Regiment, in
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...
** 41st Supply Base, in
Nemšová
Nemšová () is a town in the Trenčín District, Trenčín Region in northwestern Slovakia.
Geography
Nemšová is located in the Ilava Basin at the confluence of the Váh and Vlára rivers, at the foothills of the White Carpathians. It is from ...
** 42nd Supply Base, in
Martin, Slovakia
Martin (; until 1951 ''Turčiansky Svätý Martin'', , German: ''Turz-Sankt Martin'', Latin: ''Sanctus Martinus / Martinopolis'') is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, between the Malá Fatra and Veľká Fatra mountains ...
** 43rd Supply Base, in
Zemianske Kostoľany
** 53rd Field Services Battalion, in
Hlohovec
Hlohovec (, Hungarian ''Galgóc''), is a town in southwestern Slovakia, with a population of 21,508.
Name
The name comes from ''*Glogovec'', the Old Slavic name for a place densely overgrown by hawthorn. The Hungarian form ''Galgóc'' was ado ...
** 405th Maintenance Battalion, in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
* 6th Signal Regiment, in
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...
** 61st Signal Battalion, in
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...
** 62nd Signal Battalion, in
Ružomberok
Ružomberok (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of approximately 27,000.
Etymology
The name of the initial settlement located on today's Makovický street was ''Revúca'' ( Slovak "roaring ...
*7th Training Regiment, in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
**71st Training Battalion
**72nd Training Support Battalion
* Topographic Institute, in
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
* 701st Military Transport Center, in
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
* Training and Mobilization Replenishment Base, in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
Military Medical Command
Military Medical Command in
Ružomberok
Ružomberok (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of approximately 27,000.
Etymology
The name of the initial settlement located on today's Makovický street was ''Revúca'' ( Slovak "roaring ...
* HQ
* Department of Management and Medical Analysis
* Department of Planning and Training
* Department of Logistic
* Department of Military Healthcare Development
* Department of Veterinary Support
* Department of Field Medical Units
** Field Mobil Medical Unit ROLE 2E
** Field Mobil Medical Unit ROLE 2B
* Logistic Battalion of Military Medical Command
** HQ
** Material Support Company
** Technical Support Company
Ranks
Equipment
List of equipment of the Slovak Army
Uniforms
File:Slovak soldiers in Lešť training camp in 2018.webp, Soldiers in standard combat uniform
File:UNFICYP peacekeepers patrolling the buffer zone.jpg, Soldiers in standard combat uniform
(desert variant)
File:Slovak Army 5th Special Forces Regiment in Afghanistan3.jpg, Uniform of Slovak special force regiment
( 5th Special Operations Regiment)
File:Slovak Troops in Afghanistan.jpg, Used by soldiers in reserve, originally it was standard uniform of slovak soldiers from 1995 to 2007
File:Slovakian Soldier Vz. 58.jpg, Used by soldiers in reserve, originally it was standard uniform of slovak soldiers from 1995 to 2007
(desert variant)
File:Ministerial Conference on the Occasion of the Remembrance for the Victims of the totalitarian Regimes 2016-08-23-22 (29086228871).jpg, Uniform of the Honor Guard
A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...
of the Slovak Armed Forces
File:Cestnastraz.jpg, Uniform of the Honor Guard of the President of the Slovak Republic
File:Fotos Palacio de Grassalkovich - Bratislava - República Eslovaca (7091103771).jpg, Honor Guard of the President of the Slovak Republic in the battalion's ceremonial uniform
File:DOORSTEP BRATISLAVA SUMMIT 16 SEPTEMBER 2016 (29091532793).jpg, Honor Guard of the President of the Slovak Republic in the battalion's ceremonial uniform (based on Slovak Uprising uniforms)
File:Peter Babiar, slovenský generál 23 Slovakia 4.jpg, Service dress uniform
Missions
As of 2021, Slovakia has 169 military personnel deployed in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
for
UNFICYP United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
led
peace support operations and 41 troops deployed in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
for
EUFOR Althea
Operation Althea, formally the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR), is a military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement. It is the successor to NATO's SFOR and IFOR. ...
.
The country has been an active participant in US- and NATO-led military actions and involved in many
United Nations peacekeeping military missions:
UNPROFOR in the Yugoslavia (1992–1995),
UNOMUR in Uganda and Rwanda (1993-1994),
UNAMIR in Rwanda (1993-1996),
UNTAES in Croatia (1996-1998),
UNOMIL in Liberia (1993-1997),
MONUA in Angola (1997-1999),
SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999-2003),
OSCE mission in Moldova (1998-2002),
OSCE mission in Albania (1999),
KFOR in Kosovo (1999-2002),
UNGCI in Iraq (2000-2003),
UNMEE in Ethiopia and Eritrea (2000-2004),
UNMISET in East Timor (2001),
EUFOR Concordia in Macedonia (2003),
UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone (1999-2005),
EU supporting action to African Union in Darfur (2006),
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
in Afghanistan (2002-2005),
Operation Iraqi Freedom
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...
in Iraq (2003-2007) and
UNDOF at the borders of Israel and Syria (1998-2008).
Since the independence of Slovakia in 1993, there have been 60 uniformed personnel deaths in the line of service to the United Nations and NATO (as of 30 April 2018).
Gallery
File:Tatrapan.jpg, Armoured vehicle Tatrapan
The Tatrapan is a 6x6 special military vehicle produced by the Slovak defence industry company VYVOJ Martin Developed for various uses by Slovak armed forces as well as export purposes.
Design
Tatrapan is an armoured off-road vehicle built ...
File:RM MODULAR.jpg, Multiple rocket launcher RM-70 MODULAR
File:Slovak Air Force, Let L-410 Turbolet, 2818 - 2016 KLu Open Dagen.jpg, A Let L-410 Turbolet
The Let L-410 Turbolet is a twin-engine short-range transport aircraft designed and produced by the Czech Republic, Czech aircraft manufacturer Aircraft Industries, Let Kunovice (named Aircraft Industries since 2005).
It was developed as the ''L ...
of the Slovak Air Force
File:Slovak Army 5th Special Forces Regiment in Afghanistan2.jpg, Slovak 5th Special Forces Regiment operating in eastern Afghanistan
File:Slovak Army 5th Special Forces Regiment in Afghanistan1.jpg, In eastern Afghanistan operation
File:110623-A-CO174-007.jpg, A member of the 5th Special Forces Regiment conducts security inside HMMWV
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...
File:Soldiers from 12th Mechanized Battalion of 1st Mechanized Brigade2.jpg, Soldiers of the 12th Mechanized Battalion
File:Slovak BVP-2.jpg, Slovak and U.S. Soldiers join forces during a live-fire exercise Sept. 16, 2015 near Bratislava in the Slovak Republic
File:Slovak vz. 58.jpg, Slovak soldier stands guard in front of the Multinational Division Central-South headquarters at Camp Echo, Iraq, 2006
File:Słowackie dary dla Irakijczyków (3).jpg, Slovak Bozena vehicle is designed for clearance of all conventional antipersonnel and antitank land mines and for IED removal assistance
References
External links
V armáde SR bude pôsobiť viac vojakov, bude mať aj viac húfnic či BVPOfficial homepage of the Ministry of DefenceArmed Forces of the Slovak Republic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Of Slovakia
Permanent Structured Cooperation