Commanders of five SVK Armed Forces units and formations take battle flags over from SVK President as symbol of military honour and bravery

Commanders of five SVK Armed Forces units and formations have taken battle flags over from President and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovak Armed Forces Zuzana Čaputová. This military honour was bestowed on 1 Mechanised Brigade Topoľčany, Self-propelled Artillery Battalion Michalovce, Transport Wing Kuchyňa, Air Operations Command Brigade Zvolen and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defence Battalion Rožňava.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The act of giving a battle flag on loan to a military unit or formation is an hour and recognition accorded to our Service personnel for their dedicated work and long-term achievements in execution of assigned tasks and training. I am rightly immensely proud of them for their determination and commitment.” He added that, for soldiers, this means a commitment to maintaining the highest standards with respect to all professional duties.

Congratulating the recipients, Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko said: “All the five recognised SVK Armed Forces units and formations are actively involved in performing day-to-day tasks. These have recently been affected by assistance operations in the fight against the pandemic. Apart from this, they have maintained the highest standards of training, as evidenced by military exercises at home and abroad.”

The act of giving battle flags on loan to military units and formations is grounded in the historical tradition of the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia, Italy and France during the First World War. It is in keeping with the tradition that the battle flag must be protected and prevented from being desecrated or seized by the enemy, both in peacetime and wartime. Under current legislation, battle flags are issued on loan from the Slovak President on the recommendation of the Defence Minister.