Another 10 military policemen are heading for Operation SOPHIA to carry out tasks
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- Date: 15.12.2017
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At a predeployment ceremony held at the Military Police Training and Canine Department Vlkanová, Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš today bid his farewell to the Military Police members who are deploying for a 6-month tour of duty in support of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia II to carry out assigned tasks. And this time too, just as in the case of the first rotation, 10 MP personnel will take up their duties.
“I believe the MP members will build on the work of their predecessors and confirm that Slovakia belongs to the elite when it comes to carrying out tasks on international crisis management missions and operations,” said Head of the SVK MOD. He reminded that we had declared the intention to deploy a boarding team to the Mediterranean Sea under German command at the EU Defence Ministers meeting in Bratislava during the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union. “And we are committed to fulfilling our commitment, because security matters to us and we are playing an active role in delivering it,” he emphasised.
As SVK Military Police Director Col Michal Migát added, the MP personnel who will be entrusted with the duties of Operation Sophia have been through a demanding training programme over the past months. “It consisted of two phases. Apart from the training phase in Slovakia, the other phase was conducted in Germany, where at training facilities they trained directly with boats to get ready to respond to all scenarios,” he said.
The aim of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia is to stop the smuggling of people from the African states to Europe during the ongoing migration crisis. The first Slovak rotation was deployed in August this year.
Whilst still in Vlkanová, Minister Gajdoš also handed over a vehicle to the SVK Military Police to facilitate the work of military working dog (MWD) handlers. The new MWD vehicle has replaced an outdated 15-year old vehicle.
“I believe the MP members will build on the work of their predecessors and confirm that Slovakia belongs to the elite when it comes to carrying out tasks on international crisis management missions and operations,” said Head of the SVK MOD. He reminded that we had declared the intention to deploy a boarding team to the Mediterranean Sea under German command at the EU Defence Ministers meeting in Bratislava during the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union. “And we are committed to fulfilling our commitment, because security matters to us and we are playing an active role in delivering it,” he emphasised.
As SVK Military Police Director Col Michal Migát added, the MP personnel who will be entrusted with the duties of Operation Sophia have been through a demanding training programme over the past months. “It consisted of two phases. Apart from the training phase in Slovakia, the other phase was conducted in Germany, where at training facilities they trained directly with boats to get ready to respond to all scenarios,” he said.
The aim of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia is to stop the smuggling of people from the African states to Europe during the ongoing migration crisis. The first Slovak rotation was deployed in August this year.
Whilst still in Vlkanová, Minister Gajdoš also handed over a vehicle to the SVK Military Police to facilitate the work of military working dog (MWD) handlers. The new MWD vehicle has replaced an outdated 15-year old vehicle.
