Illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
His visit coincides with Slovak Shield 2015, by far the largest international military exercise undertaken by the Slovak Armed Forces, which should feature more than 600 pieces of military equipment and almost 4,000 soldiers, including 119 members of the Indiana National Guard.
“The presence of the National Guard of Indiana in our exercises, whether it’s Slovak Shield or last year’s Ground Pepper exercise, provides an excellent opportunity for our armed forces,” said Defence Minister Martin Glváč, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “We can test our ability to respond to threats in cooperation with our allies and demonstrate how we interact with each other. I appreciate the fact that our relations are very active and friendly.”
Glváč hopes that the cooperation will intensify in regard to new Black Hawk helicopters. The ministry plans to establish a training facility for helicopter pilots, which will not only be used by the Slovak Air Force, but also by Slovakia's allies.
“I’m sure that the new Black Hawk helicopters will further increase the already excellent cooperation between the Slovak Armed Forces and our National Guard,” said Carr, as quoted by TASR.
During their visit to Slovakia the US delegation will also participate in celebrations of the Day of the Armed Forces in Brezová pod Bradlom (Trenčín Region).
Slovak Armed Forces have been cooperating with the Indiana National Guard since 1994 via the National Guard State Partnership Program, TASR wrote.
