102 new soldiers take oath of allegiance and pass out from basic training in Martin

Today (28 May 2021), 102 trainee soldiers, of whom 14 were female trainee soldiers, completed a 7-week Phase 1 initial military training programme by swearing the Oath of Allegiance to the Slovak Armed Forces at the Training and Mobilisation Manning Base Martin.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I am pleased that young people are increasingly interested in service to the country. From now on, the new servicemen and women face the day-to-day challenge of fulfilling the military oath they have taken. That's why I trust that the same pride and enthusiasm they display today as they stand here will accompany them when performing tasks and overcoming potential hurdles throughout their entire professional careers.” He explained that they are now to be posted to individual military units.

Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko said: “Despite having placed higher demands on the participants of the just completed training, I am pleased to see that the dropout rate was very low. The measures in place permitted us to deliver quality training and prepare new soldiers on their path towards becoming military professionals. I am convinced that increased interest in careers in the Services allows us to keep raising training standards, so that we can have higher quality personnel in the Armed Forces.”

The passing out parade took place without the presence of family members and the public. Yet, the event was live-streamed via the SVK Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Facebook page.