In the second half of the year, Slovakia will hold 31 military exercises with the presence of foreign forces. Slovak soldiers will take part in 53 exercises abroad. This is according to the proposal of the Ministry of Defence, which was approved by the Cabinet on Monday. "The basic tools for increasing the preparedness of the armed forces include military exercises, the aim of which is to fulfil obligations as part of international cooperation, including obligations resulting from Slovakia's membership in international organisations, or as part of cooperation in regional groupings, and on the basis of bilateral cooperation," pointed out the ministry, adding that in connection with the development of the security situation in Europe, the strengthening of the preparedness of the armed forces appears to be necessary.
The planned exercises in Slovakia include, for example, 'Toxic Valley' as well as the joint exercise of army engineering units 'Engineer Spirit' or the exercise of tactical units called 'European Shield'. In addition to the soldiers of the member countries of NATO or the European Union, Ukrainian soldiers will also be involved in several training activities. Slovak soldiers will be sent, for example, to the international exercise 'Czech Lion' in the Czech Republic, 'Blonde Avalanche' in Hungary and 'Wawelberg Bridges' in Poland.
Source: TASR
