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.[4] From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished.[5][6][7] Slovak armed forces numbered 19,500 uniformed personnel and 4,208 civilians in 2022.[1]
Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic | |
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Ozbrojené sily Slovenskej Republiky | |
Motto | "Česť a sláva" (Honour and Glory) |
Founded | 1 January 1993 |
Service branches |
|
Headquarters | Bratislava, Slovakia |
Website | Official website |
Leadership | |
Commander-in-chief | Zuzana Čaputová |
Minister of defense | Robert Kaliňák |
Chief of the General Staff | General Daniel Zmeko |
Personnel | |
Conscription | Abolished in 2006 |
Active personnel | 19,500[1] |
Expenditures | |
Budget | €1.67 billion ($2.01 billion) (2021)[2] |
Percent of GDP | 1.75% (2021)[2] |
Industry | |
Foreign suppliers | Czech Republic[3] Austria Bulgaria France Germany Poland United States |
Related articles | |
Ranks | Military ranks of Slovakia |
Joint Operational Command in Banská Bystrica[8] (Commander: 2 Star General)
The Slovak Air Force, officially the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, has been defending Slovak airspace since independence in 1993. The Slovak Air Force currently comprises one wing of fighters, one wing of utility helicopters, one wing of transport aircraft, and one SAM brigade. It operates around 20 combat aircraft, as well as 10 helicopters from 3 air bases: Malacky/Kuchyňa Air Base, Sliač Air Base, Prešov Air Base. The Air Force is currently part of the NATO Integrated Air and Missiles Defense System – NATINADS.
Military Medical Command in Ružomberok[31]
Slovakia has 169 military personnel deployed in Cyprus for UNFICYP United Nations led peace support operations.[43][44] Slovakia has 41 troops deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for EUFOR Althea.[45] Slovak troops were withdrawn from Kosovo because the Slovak Armed Forces set its priority to focus mainly on NATO-led missions.[46][47] Since the independence of Slovakia in 1993, there have been 60 uniformed personnel deaths in the line of service to the United Nations and NATO (as of 30 April 2018).[48][49][50]