MOD fully respects Prime Ministerʼs position on purchase of F-16 fighter jets

The final decision on the signing of the agreement on the replacement of the SVK Air Forceʼs fighter jet fleet falls fully within the competence of the SVK Government. The MOD has never cast any doubt whatsoever on this proposition. On Friday 30 November 2018, the MOD Modernization Department signed drafts of respective technical arrangements that are instrumental to launching the fleet replacement process and informed the U.S. side about it. The outcome of the signing by the MOD of the three separate preliminary Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs), which are necessary to effect the performance of the agreement via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, is that the MOD Modernization Department has concluded the negotiations on the LOAs and prepared them for the official signing upon approval by the Ministry of Finance in line with the Governmentʼs decision. Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš fully respects the Prime Ministerʼs position whereby another approval by the Finance Ministry is required before the LOAs are officially signed, and he will act accordingly in this respect.