Deputy Defence Minister visits Armed Forces Academy Liptovský Mikuláš and elite 5 Special Forces Regiment Žilina
- Author:
- Photo:
- Date: 09.11.2023
- Share: Zdieľať na Facebook
On his away-day trip to northern Slovakia, Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher visited the General M. R. Štefánik Armed Forces Academy (AOS) Liptovský Mikuláš and 5 Special Forces Regiment (5 SOF Regt) Žilina.
In his first visit to AOS, Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher met with Assoc Prof Jozef Puttera, the Academy's Commandant, to congratulate him on the Academy's half-century anniversary as it celebrates 50 years of tertiary military education in the Liptov region this year. They used the opportunity to discuss the Academy's issues of the day, including, among others, its cooperation with other universities and colleges at home and abroad and ways to attract new and next generations in the country's military.
On military training and education at Liptovský Mikuláš, Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher said: “Education constitutes the basis of a developed society and I consider it to be one of the most important professional attributes, even from the perspective of my work in the Ministry of Defence. Currently, there are 621 Officer Cadets and students studying at AOSʼs departments in three levels of study, while every year there is lots of interest from prospective applicants. Ultimately, the Academy is recognised by international educational institutions within NATO and has both national and NATO accreditation, which gives it truly great prestige.”
Mr Melicher went on to emphasise the need to maintain the highest standards with respect to the quality of education programmes, whether it be by taking on extra teaching staff, implementing modernisation projects or attracting talented graduates of secondary schools, colleges and universities.
While at 5 SOF Regt Žilina, Mr Melicher took keen interest in the Regiment's fill rates, tasks and needs. He commended the Regiment for its strong track record of deployments at home and abroad, saying: “For the Armed Forces, the Special Operations Forces are an invaluable and irreplaceable asset, both here and abroad. In recent years, we have relied on them to deal with a number of unexpected events and to carry out missions that cannot be discussed publicly.”
Wrapping up his working visit to the elite Regiment, the Deputy Defence Minister paid tribute to the fallen Special Forces soldiers at the Special Operations Forces Memorial in a wreath-laying ceremony.
In his first visit to AOS, Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher met with Assoc Prof Jozef Puttera, the Academy's Commandant, to congratulate him on the Academy's half-century anniversary as it celebrates 50 years of tertiary military education in the Liptov region this year. They used the opportunity to discuss the Academy's issues of the day, including, among others, its cooperation with other universities and colleges at home and abroad and ways to attract new and next generations in the country's military.
On military training and education at Liptovský Mikuláš, Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher said: “Education constitutes the basis of a developed society and I consider it to be one of the most important professional attributes, even from the perspective of my work in the Ministry of Defence. Currently, there are 621 Officer Cadets and students studying at AOSʼs departments in three levels of study, while every year there is lots of interest from prospective applicants. Ultimately, the Academy is recognised by international educational institutions within NATO and has both national and NATO accreditation, which gives it truly great prestige.”
Mr Melicher went on to emphasise the need to maintain the highest standards with respect to the quality of education programmes, whether it be by taking on extra teaching staff, implementing modernisation projects or attracting talented graduates of secondary schools, colleges and universities.
While at 5 SOF Regt Žilina, Mr Melicher took keen interest in the Regiment's fill rates, tasks and needs. He commended the Regiment for its strong track record of deployments at home and abroad, saying: “For the Armed Forces, the Special Operations Forces are an invaluable and irreplaceable asset, both here and abroad. In recent years, we have relied on them to deal with a number of unexpected events and to carry out missions that cannot be discussed publicly.”
Wrapping up his working visit to the elite Regiment, the Deputy Defence Minister paid tribute to the fallen Special Forces soldiers at the Special Operations Forces Memorial in a wreath-laying ceremony.
