Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák makes pre-Christmas trip to SVK military personnel on deployment to Latvia

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák along with President Peter Pellegrini and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko have made a pre-Christmas trip to SVK servicemen and women on deployment to Latvia. A total of 115 SVK artillery troops, whose regular rotations are due to conclude early next year, are currently serving at Camp Ādaži.

Slovakia has been actively engaged with the NATO Multinational Battlegroup-turned-Brigade in Latvia (MNB-LVA) since 2017. Nearly 1,500 SVK military personnel have so far rotated in and out of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia. Currently, Slovakia is supporting MNB-LVA with its artillery forces equipped with Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs).

On the two aspects of the SVK operational deployment to Latvia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “Members of an entire artillery battalion have all had the chance to take it in turns to serve in this mission. On the one hand, our servicemen and women have been given a unique opportunity to practice their skills in their role. On the other hand, operational deployments put military assets to the test under challenging, near-combat conditions. Thanks to this, our manufacturers, too, will be able to take account of the lessons learned from this deployment and develop new versions of their products into the future.”

This marks the last rotation of our artillery forces in MNB-LVA. They will soon be replaced by SVK CBRN specialists. Spending time with our artillery personnel at Camp Ādaži, Minister Kaliňák recognised their service and thanked them for representing Slovakia and leaving behind the good name of SVK artillery forces in Latvia. “Representing Slovakia that you took on has really worked out well. Our artillery troops are among our best trained capabilities and are highly appreciated abroad,” Minister Kaliňák added.