The first 15 SVK soldiers bound for Iraq
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- Date: 27.10.2017
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Slovak Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš and Chief of Defence General Milan Maxim today participated in a predeployment ceremony for SVK soldiers heading to Iraq, which was held at the Engineer Battalion Sereď. As part of the first rotation, a total of 15 SVK Armed Forces personnel are deploying to Iraq. They will be tasked with training Iraqi Armed Forces instructors in the field of demining.
In his remarks at the predeployment ceremony, Head of the MOD said: “I am convinced that with this move we are sending a clear message that we do care about security in the world and that we are making an active contribution by deploying our troops on operations and missions abroad, or on training missions as this one.” He further underscored that the SVK servicemen will not participate in combat operations, nor in their planning. “They will only conduct training activities,” he emphasised.
“The aim of this initiative is to help Iraqi Security Forces under this non-combat military mentoring activity in building a new, modern and qualified Iraqi Armed Forces, capable of facing current security threats,” added Gen Maxim.
The mandate for dispatching up to 25 SVK Armed Forces members to Iraq was endorsed by Members of Parliament in October of this year. Their task will be to provide training, advice and assistance in building the capacities of the Iraqi Security Forces under the NATO Training and Capacity Building in Iraq (NTCB-I).
Aside from the outgoing soldiers under this rotation, in the coming days additional SVK Armed Forces personnel are gearing up for a tour of duty in Iraq to support the repairs operations on Soviet-era hardware. In line with the mandate, another 10 soldiers will be sent to Iraq.
The activity of the SVK Armed Forces in Iraq will be implemented under NATO's Defence Capacity Building (DCB) package for Iraq with the approval of the Republic of Iraq and the conditions of service will be in accordance with international agreements and international contractual documents.
In his remarks at the predeployment ceremony, Head of the MOD said: “I am convinced that with this move we are sending a clear message that we do care about security in the world and that we are making an active contribution by deploying our troops on operations and missions abroad, or on training missions as this one.” He further underscored that the SVK servicemen will not participate in combat operations, nor in their planning. “They will only conduct training activities,” he emphasised.
“The aim of this initiative is to help Iraqi Security Forces under this non-combat military mentoring activity in building a new, modern and qualified Iraqi Armed Forces, capable of facing current security threats,” added Gen Maxim.
The mandate for dispatching up to 25 SVK Armed Forces members to Iraq was endorsed by Members of Parliament in October of this year. Their task will be to provide training, advice and assistance in building the capacities of the Iraqi Security Forces under the NATO Training and Capacity Building in Iraq (NTCB-I).
Aside from the outgoing soldiers under this rotation, in the coming days additional SVK Armed Forces personnel are gearing up for a tour of duty in Iraq to support the repairs operations on Soviet-era hardware. In line with the mandate, another 10 soldiers will be sent to Iraq.
The activity of the SVK Armed Forces in Iraq will be implemented under NATO's Defence Capacity Building (DCB) package for Iraq with the approval of the Republic of Iraq and the conditions of service will be in accordance with international agreements and international contractual documents.
