Slovakia's 3rd Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defense Unit Command in Zvolen is scheduled to begin the operation of an integrated anti-aircraft defense system on August 26, 1999.
The system, known as ASOC, can readily hook up with NATO's internal system should Slovakia join the alliance, Slovak Defense Minister Pavol Kanis said during a meeting with the new US Chargé d'Affaires Douglas C. Hengel and US defense attaché Colonel John Markowicz on August 16.
Kanis said relations with the US have become much stronger since Slovakia's new cabinet took power last fall. Aware of its global power, Slovakia now views the US as a priority partner, he said.
