124 Junior Soldiers (JS) swear Oath of Allegiance, passing out of basic training at Martin Barracks

124 Junior Soldiers (JS) today swore the Oath of Allegiance on the parade square at Martin Barracks as their families and friends looked on. Representing the Slovak Armed Forces, Deputy Chief of Defence/Chief of Staff (DCHOD/COS) Maj Gen Peter Babiar took the salute and congratulated them on successfully passing out of basic training.

In his speech addressed to the Junior Soldiers, Maj Gen Peter Babiar said: “The success of your units and forces will depend on the abilities of all of you and on how well you can represent the Slovak Armed Forces at home and abroad. You will be performing service duties in no easy conditions, with high demands placed on you.”

The demands of the roles in the Armed Forces are justifiably high. They are, therefore, translated into basic training of recruits, as evidenced by the fact that as many as 19 recruits of this intake dropped out of training.

With the seven-week-long IMT programme now complete, the JS will follow a military career path. They will now head off to their respective trade training units. Key to the Slovak Armed Forces, life-long education and training allows the Whole Force to be prepared to conduct operations in defence of Slovakia. To this cause, servicemen and women must be ready to sacrifice their lives and health – just as the new active duty soldiers committed themselves to do in the Oath of Allegiance today.