61 young officers pass out of Armed Forces Academy (AOS) Liptovský Mikuláš

61 Officer Cadets, of which 16 were female, have completed a passing out parade to mark the end of their Master of Engineering (MEng) and Magister (Mgr) study programmes at the General M. R. Štefánik Armed Forces Academy (AOS) Liptovský Mikuláš. In the presence of Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď, the Officer Cadets were commissioned into the Slovak Armed Forces and were promoted to the most junior officer rank of Lieutenant. During the ceremony, Lt Jakub Čorba was named Best Officer Cadet of the Academy.

Speaking on this occasion, Jaroslav Naď said: “This act of graduation marks an important milestone in their careers, because these AOS graduates are commissioned and promoted to the most junior officer rank of Lieutenant. Their promotion follows their successful completion of a challenging military education programme, which is designed to train them to the highest standards of professionalism. My sincere congratulations to this group of new lieutenants on their graduation. I wish them every success, strength and commitment as they move on to serve their country.”

Since they deployed on domestic crisis management operations to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and to support refugees on the Slovak-Ukrainian border after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Minister Naď appreciated that they tried walking in our service personnel's shoes while still at school.

AOS Commandant Assoc Prof Jozef Puttera said: “Working in a complicated and dynamic military environment full of rapid changes is not easy. This is why I am all the more delighted that our graduates have chosen this profession. With the wealth of knowledge they have acquired during their studies, I am convinced they will be of benefit to the Armed Forces.”

For the young officers, the passing out parade has brought a close to their time at Liptovský Mikuláš as they head off to their respective Slovak Armed Forces units to take on their new roles.