Imrich Andrejčák (12 July 1941 – 5 September 2018) was a Czechoslovak-born Slovak

army general Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

and politician. He was the last

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

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 ...

from 2 July 1992 until 31 December 1992, with the dissolution of the country. Andrejčák then became the first Defence Minister of an independent

Slovakia 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 m ...

from 16 March 1993 and 14 March 1994.

Biography

Andrejčák was born on 12 July 1941 in the Slovak village of Haniska, Košice-okolie District,

. He studied at the Jan Žižka Military School 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. ...

from 1955 until 1958 and the Military School in

Vyškov Vyškov (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Vyškov consists of 13 mun ...

from 1958 to 1961. In 1961, he was commissioned as a

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 ...

officer with the rank of Lieutenant. He served as a commander from 1961 to 1968. He then studied intelligence at the Military Academy in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

in 1971. Andrejčák was a member of the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

from 1960 until the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

in 1989. Towards the end of the Communist era, Andrejčák held the positions of Commander of the 1st Army of the Central Military District from 1982 to 1987,

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Eastern Military Circuit 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 ...

from 1988 until 1989, and Commander of the Eastern Military District in Trenčín from 11 September 1989 to 2 November 1990. Following the fall of communism, Andrejčák, who joined the early ĽS-HZDS, was appointed Deputy Minister of Defence of the

Czech and Slovak Federative Republic After the Velvet Revolution in Revolutions of 1989, late-1989, Czechoslovakia adopted the official short-lived country name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (, ; ''ČSFR'') during the period from 23 April 1990 until 31 December 1992, after w ...

(ČSFR) from 2 November 1990 until 25 June 1990. He also headed the Czechoslovak federal Minister of Defence's office strategic and conceptual security issues during this time. Andrejčák served as the last Minister of Defence of Czechoslovakia (ČSFR) from 2 July 1992 until 31 December 1992, within the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

of Prime Minister Jan Stráský. The country split into independence Slovakia and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

on 1 January 1993. Following the independence of Slovakia, Andrejčák was appointed the country's first Minister of Defence from 16 March 1993 until 15 March 1994. Andrejčák died in

, on 5 September 2018, at the age of 77. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Blanka Fetkovicova Andrejcakova. Slovak Defence Minister

Peter Gajdoš Peter Gajdoš (9 April 1959) is a Slovak retired three star general and politician who served as the minister of defence from 2016 to 2020. Biography Peter Gajdoš was born on 9 April 1959 in Nitra. He studied at the military school in Bansk� ...

and the Chief of

Slovak Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic were divided from the Czechoslovak Army after dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined NATO on 29 March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization ...

, General Daniel Zmeko, ordered that defence ministry flags be flown at half staff in Andrejčák's honor.

Awards

* Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order, 2nd Class * In 1998, Andrejčák was awarded the

Order of Ľudovít Štúr The Order of Ľudovít Štúr () is the third highest Slovak state decoration (after the Order of the White Double Cross and the Orders, decorations, and medals of Slovakia#Andrej Hlinka Order, Order of Andrej Hlinka) conferred by the President ...

by Slovak President

Michal Kováč Michal Kováč (3 August 1930 – 5 October 2016) was the first president of Slovakia, having served from 1993 through 1998. Early life Kováč was born in the village of Ľubiša in then Czechoslovakia in 1929. He then graduated from the p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrejcak, Imrich 1941 births 2018 deaths Defence ministers of Slovakia Defence ministers of Czechoslovakia Slovak generals Czechoslovak Army officers Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 1992–1994 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 1994-1998 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 1998–2002 Recipients of the Milan Rastislav Stefanik Order Communist Party of Czechoslovakia members People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia politicians People from Košice-okolie District