Ex Slovak Shield 2018: This year’s largest military exercise in Slovakia is underway

Ex Slovak Shield 2018, this year’s largest military exercise in Slovakia, is underway. With 1,250 Slovak personnel and 250 soldiers from the Visegrad Group (V4) Armed Forces, the Indiana National Guard (INNG) and the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) having deployed on the exercise, it is one of the most significant military training activities in Central Europe.

The Slovak Shield 2018 series is geared towards training troops together in response to current security challenges. As well as practising tactical and operational capabilities at all levels of command and control, focus of the SVK Armed Forces along with Allied troops is on giving HQ/Staff 2nd Mechanised Brigade, HQ Task Force, and Air Component HQ practice in SOPs.

Ex Slovak Shield 2018 will run until 28 September 2018 and will involve military training facilities across the whole of Slovakia, including at the Training Centre Lešť and the Simulation Centre of Liptovský Mikuláš-based General M. R. Štefánik Armed Forces Academy. The LIVEX phase of Ex Slovak Shield 2018 will kick off on 23 September 2018.