Exceptional inventory checks at munitions depots are over
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- Date: 08.12.2017
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The Slovak Armed Forces have concluded exceptional inventory checks on munitions at their munitions depots, as ordered by SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš after first establishing discrepancies. According to the initial conclusions of criminal investigation bodies, it has not been demonstrated that the missing munitions were the subject of criminal activity, but they may have been the outcome of incorrect stock records and the way munitions inventories have been managed since 2006. Acting on the order of the Defence Minister, soldiers have adopted a series of measures to prevent recurrences.
“I want to emphasise that these are the first 100-per cent physical inventory checks on munitions in the history of our Slovak Armed Forces. Every single piece of ammunition was checked,”emphasised Head of the MOD, adding that none of his predecessors had initiated such detailed inventories to be carried out before. “This means that today nobody can claim that the inventories were OK during his tenure, because nobody checked the inventories physically,” he argued.
Minister Gajdoš also underlined the need to return to the previous security arrangements of the munitions depots, when military personnel, not civilians, guarded the munitions depots. “We are fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, that is why I have instructed the CHOD to review the requirements on the security clearance for the people who guard munitions depots and handle munitions today,” he said. He reassured the public that the MOD has been taking maximum efforts to assist in the ongoing enquiry into the missing munitions stockpiles. “Hundreds of people have been interrogated, numerous disciplinary and dismissal actions have been taken, and we cannot rule out adopting additional measures, once the case is concluded by criminal investigation bodies,” he explained.
SVK CHOD Gen Milan Maxim informed that munitions are reported to be missing at Trenčín – Kubrá and Sklené Munitions Depots, and discrepancies in munitions inventories have also been established at the military units in Rožňava and Nováky. “Hundreds of service personnel and civilian employees carried out comprehensive inventory checks on a daily basis. Overall, some 7000 people were involved in the effort over the period of almost 200 days,” noted Gen Milan Maxim. He went on to underline that, according to the findings thus far, the missing munitions are attributed to failures of individuals against whom formal disciplinary and dismissal actions have been taken. Further measures cannot be ruled out later. “We have reviewed the system of access to the munitions depots, with the aim of streamlining the checks on movements of munitions materiel, and we are preparing a pilot project for guarding the munitions depots by soldiers,” he stressed.
The 1st Vice-President of the SVK Police Corps, Col Jaroslav Málik, stated that investigation is still underway. “The ongoing investigation thus far supports the assumption that there were no break-ins from outside, but there were failures by individuals who worked in the munitions depots. Also, there is an alternative that errors in stock records may have occurred during the division of the Czechoslovak military assets, when the materiel was being entered into inventories,” he explained.
Similarly, the Director of the National Crime Agency, Col Peter Hraško, stated that SVK Police have established no connection between the missing munitions from the military depots and the criminal cases of trading in weapons and munitions they have investigated recently.
“I want to emphasise that these are the first 100-per cent physical inventory checks on munitions in the history of our Slovak Armed Forces. Every single piece of ammunition was checked,”emphasised Head of the MOD, adding that none of his predecessors had initiated such detailed inventories to be carried out before. “This means that today nobody can claim that the inventories were OK during his tenure, because nobody checked the inventories physically,” he argued.
Minister Gajdoš also underlined the need to return to the previous security arrangements of the munitions depots, when military personnel, not civilians, guarded the munitions depots. “We are fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, that is why I have instructed the CHOD to review the requirements on the security clearance for the people who guard munitions depots and handle munitions today,” he said. He reassured the public that the MOD has been taking maximum efforts to assist in the ongoing enquiry into the missing munitions stockpiles. “Hundreds of people have been interrogated, numerous disciplinary and dismissal actions have been taken, and we cannot rule out adopting additional measures, once the case is concluded by criminal investigation bodies,” he explained.
SVK CHOD Gen Milan Maxim informed that munitions are reported to be missing at Trenčín – Kubrá and Sklené Munitions Depots, and discrepancies in munitions inventories have also been established at the military units in Rožňava and Nováky. “Hundreds of service personnel and civilian employees carried out comprehensive inventory checks on a daily basis. Overall, some 7000 people were involved in the effort over the period of almost 200 days,” noted Gen Milan Maxim. He went on to underline that, according to the findings thus far, the missing munitions are attributed to failures of individuals against whom formal disciplinary and dismissal actions have been taken. Further measures cannot be ruled out later. “We have reviewed the system of access to the munitions depots, with the aim of streamlining the checks on movements of munitions materiel, and we are preparing a pilot project for guarding the munitions depots by soldiers,” he stressed.
The 1st Vice-President of the SVK Police Corps, Col Jaroslav Málik, stated that investigation is still underway. “The ongoing investigation thus far supports the assumption that there were no break-ins from outside, but there were failures by individuals who worked in the munitions depots. Also, there is an alternative that errors in stock records may have occurred during the division of the Czechoslovak military assets, when the materiel was being entered into inventories,” he explained.
Similarly, the Director of the National Crime Agency, Col Peter Hraško, stated that SVK Police have established no connection between the missing munitions from the military depots and the criminal cases of trading in weapons and munitions they have investigated recently.
