Celebrating 17th anniversary of Slovakia's accession to NATO with SVK-US cooperation on F-16 Pilot Training Programme

Today (29 March) Slovakia celebrates the 17th anniversary of its accession to NATO. This year we have decided to mark the anniversary in a somewhat untraditional manner.

Speaking on this occasion, US Ambassador Bridget Brink said: “The stability the Alliance provides to NATO Member States is the foundation of prosperity, freedom and opportunities for the citizens of Slovakia, America, and all of Europe. We are pleased to have cooperated with the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Air Force on a short video highlighting the talented [SVK Air Force] pilots in training and our strategic partnership. Soon, the Slovak pilots will fly some of the most advanced supersonic jets serving the Slovak Nation. With their skills, abilities and bravery, these pilots are the pride of the Slovak Armed Forces.”

Intense cooperation on SVK pilots training between Slovakia and the United States of America has been underway these past months and is soon to be extended to include technicians. A total of 8 SVK pilots are undergoing training in the USA. Another group of pilots are going through different phases of national training at Sliač Air Base. More candidates will be selected from the future graduates of the Technical University of Košice and the civil sector.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “For the past 17 years, Slovakia has been part of the Alliance that provides clear security and defence guarantees as one of the basic pre-requisites for driving development. Through our responsible approach and performance of our commitments vis-à-vis our Allies and collective security, our effort is to work towards fulfilling this membership, which puts Slovakia among the advanced and stable countries in the region. Joint training of our troops is an excellent opportunity for deepening the interoperability of our countries in the field of defence and security, and, in the case of our cooperation with the United States, this also applies to the training of our pilots and the alignment of specific procedures for airspace protection. Our pilots have a unique opportunity to access expertise directly from their experienced US colleagues, pilots of F-16 fighter jets. This is an excellent project of sharing expertise and advancing cooperation effectively – because we are stronger together, we are NATO.”

The video, made at the Tactical Wing Sliač, captures the pilots learning theory in the classroom, using the flight simulator, undergoing pre-flight preparation at an aircraft stand, following English language training provided by the US Embassy and led by PaeDr. Martina Babiaková. In short interviews, the pilots speak about their stories on the path to becoming military pilots and about different aspects of their training.

The video “Slovak Top Gun – Slovak Pilots on the 17th Anniversary of Slovakia's Accession to NATO” is available at video.

Lt Matúš Bartalský, F-16 pilot trainee, said: “I believe that on completion of our training we will be ready to protect SVK airspace in new aircraft.”

Cooperation makes the Alliance stronger.