25th anniversary of the establishment of the Slovak Republic and Armed Forces remembered by MOD employees and soldiers

MOD civil servants, civilian employees and service personnel today came together for a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic and Slovak Armed Forces. On this occasion, SVK Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš and Chief of Defence General Milan Maxim awarded the service members and employees who have played a key role in the development of the SVK MOD and Armed Forces over the past years. Nearly 1,100 employees and active duty soldiers have been awarded the Memorial Medal marking the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Slovak Armed Forces.
 
Addressing the gathered audience at the MOD Club, Minister Gajdoš said: “When on 1 January 1993 the independent Slovak Republic came into existence along with our Armed Forces in parallel, we entered an entirely unexplored environment. Against all the odds, our desire to have our own country and to prove to ourselves and to the world at large that we deserve it as a nation was stronger and triumphed above everything else."
 
He went on to praise the efforts of all those who have been involved in building the Armed Forces since the formation of the independent Slovak Republic. “Also thanks to their dedicated work, today our Armed Forces are capable of fully guaranteeing the security of SVK citizens. And without any hesitation, they are here for them – 24hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year,” he emphasised.
 
In his speech, Chief of Defence General Milan Maxim underlined the high levels of confidence the Slovak military has enjoyed in the public eye in the long run. “The last 25 years of our existence have been filled with hard working ethos, with the result that we have retained high levels of public confidence in the long term. For this, we owe our gratitude and recognition to all serving and former personnel from across the SVK Armed Forces and the MOD,” he said.
 
The award of medals commemorating important anniversaries related to the SVK Armed Forces has been a well-established tradition in Defence. For example, official memorial medals were instituted to mark the 15th and 20th anniversary of the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic and Slovak Armed Forces, and to mark the 10th anniversary of Slovakiaʼs entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Today, among the more notable recipients at the ceremony were both State Secretaries, Directors General of the MOD Departments, Chief of Defence (CHOD), Deputy Chiefs of Defence (DCHODs), senior commanders, and regular employees and service members based on the recommendations of their superiors. At specific commemorative events throughout 2018, the MOD will present the Memorial Medal as a form of moral recognition to people in Defence. The design of the military commemorative medal was discussed in detail and approved by the Military Symbols Council.