Citizens can undergo voluntary military preparations

The Government of the Slovak Republic has approved the project of voluntary military preparations. Citizens, undergoing a 12-week-long training, will gain basic knowledge and skills necessary to perform tasks of the SVK Armed Forces and the crisis management. After completion, they will be enlisted in the active reserves or will have higher chances to be employed in the security services of the Slovak Republic.

“The pilot project, containing a group of 150 persons, should start at the beginning of 2016. It goes without saying that the applicants for this kind of training must fulfill requirements set by state,” stated the SVK Minister of Defence, Martin Glváč, and added that the voluntary preparations project called for several act amendments.

Citizens, undergoing the voluntary military preparations, will receive a sum of €375, upon which – according to the agreement between the SVK MoD and the SVK Ministry of Finance – no tax will be imposed. The SVK MoD will provide them with free accommodation and boarding, equipment, compensation of travel expenses, as well as other benefits in the field of social and health insurance. “Those enlisted in the active reserves, will, of course, receive other benefits as well,” added the Head of the SVK MoD. He explained that to have the opportunity to mobilize the active reserves in a time of peace means to change the constitutional law.

Voluntary military preparations will take place at Martin-based Training Battalion. Besides fulfilling the admissions requirements set by state, the applicants will have to hand in a written declaration that they are neither members, nor sympathizers, nor supporters of extremist groups. During the 3-month-long training, the citizens will be protected by the Labour Code and their employers will not be allowed to dismiss them.