A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over eastern Slovakia on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (source: TASR - Roman Hanc)
Dressed in protective suits and masks, their mission is clear: swiftly locate a contaminated site, accurately identify toxic substances on the spot, protect themselves and their unit, and solve riddles and uncover clues to obtain a code that will unlock a treasure chest.
Such scenarios, inspired by real events like the war in Ukraine, challenge the teams of chemists from NATO member states – including Americans – who are in constantly changing situations. One day they are in a tunnel, the next in a simulated shop or train. Yet, for three weeks, they never leave their training centre, located in Trenčín Region’s Zemianske Kostoľany.
“They have to learn that while equipment works reliably in lab conditions, it’s not that simple in real life,” said Major Miroslav Labaška, a co-creator of the scenarios, in an interview with Obrana (Defence) magazine last year. “Even the most sophisticated devices can struggle, for instance, when the wind blows and mixes the fumes.”
Since 2013, the popular international Toxic Valley exercise has been held in Slovakia, driving chemical specialists to rely on more than just their equipment.
The significance of international exercises like Toxic Valley, along with other annual military drills held in Slovakia such as Slovak Shield, was emphasised this year by Major General R. Dale Lyles, who, as Indiana’s adjutant general, is the commander of the Indiana National Guard, and US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam A. Rana. In May, Lyles visited Banská Bystrica, in central Slovakia, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of cooperation between the Slovak Armed Forces and the Indiana National Guard.
Military cooperation between the United States and Slovakia has deep roots, stretching back to the era of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic (1990-1992). Military analyst Vladimír Bednár explains that these early collaborations also included international missions, such as the seven-month Persian Gulf War. It was during this time that the first joint projects between the American and Slovak armed forces were also initiated.
