Pass-Out Parade: Newly trained reservists of the NDF pilot programme pledge loyalty to their country by swearing the Oath of Allegiance
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- Date: 20.07.2025
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Today (Sunday 20 July 2025), the first 40 newly trained National Defence Forces (NDF) reservists swore the Oath of Allegiance, pledging loyalty to their country at a Pass-Out Parade at the Tomb Monument of M. R. Štefánik on Bradlo Hill on the eve of the 145th anniversary of Štefánik's birth (21 July 1880).
The men and women of the National Defence Forces – including President and Commander-in-Chief Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, and Members of Parliament – stepped up to take on their roles within the Active Reserves (AR) to defend Slovakia and keep our people safe and secure. The families of the reservist personnel were there to see them pass out and congratulate them on making this pledge of commitment to the Slovak Armed Forces as the true mark of patriotism.
Sharing his thoughts on getting the NDF up and running, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “Personally, I think the Oath of Allegiance is the culmination of this whole story since putting the new Active Reserves system together – it has taken us more than a year to get to this stage, and, only about 20 days on from the launch of the NDF application process, I am very pleased to see such favourable numbers,” before adding that the Armed Forces have received thousands of application forms so far, with more than 600 new reserve recruits already processed and the training slots now being allocated to them.
On behalf of the passers-out at the Pass-Out Parade, Vlastislav Čepo, judged to be the Best Reservist Soldier of the first intake of recruits to the National Defence Forces, read out the Oath of Allegiance in front of his fellow reservist soldiers standing in formation with their rifles.
The NDF training was broken down into intensive training sessions to cover basic skills from Battlefield Casualty Drills (BCD), Radio Communications (RC), Fieldcraft and Field Engineering (FC&FE), Map Reading and Navigation (MR&NAV), Skill At Arms (SAA), Tactical Combat Drills (TCD), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN).
Yet, they still have to complete a final 24-hour field march, starting on the night from Monday to Tuesday, during which they will be putting into practice everything they have learned in two weeks of their training.
For further information, potential candidates can follow the guidance notes on the NDF website at www.noska.sk or contact the NDF Call Centre on 0960 960 960.
The men and women of the National Defence Forces – including President and Commander-in-Chief Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, and Members of Parliament – stepped up to take on their roles within the Active Reserves (AR) to defend Slovakia and keep our people safe and secure. The families of the reservist personnel were there to see them pass out and congratulate them on making this pledge of commitment to the Slovak Armed Forces as the true mark of patriotism.
Sharing his thoughts on getting the NDF up and running, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “Personally, I think the Oath of Allegiance is the culmination of this whole story since putting the new Active Reserves system together – it has taken us more than a year to get to this stage, and, only about 20 days on from the launch of the NDF application process, I am very pleased to see such favourable numbers,” before adding that the Armed Forces have received thousands of application forms so far, with more than 600 new reserve recruits already processed and the training slots now being allocated to them.
On behalf of the passers-out at the Pass-Out Parade, Vlastislav Čepo, judged to be the Best Reservist Soldier of the first intake of recruits to the National Defence Forces, read out the Oath of Allegiance in front of his fellow reservist soldiers standing in formation with their rifles.
The NDF training was broken down into intensive training sessions to cover basic skills from Battlefield Casualty Drills (BCD), Radio Communications (RC), Fieldcraft and Field Engineering (FC&FE), Map Reading and Navigation (MR&NAV), Skill At Arms (SAA), Tactical Combat Drills (TCD), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN).
Yet, they still have to complete a final 24-hour field march, starting on the night from Monday to Tuesday, during which they will be putting into practice everything they have learned in two weeks of their training.
For further information, potential candidates can follow the guidance notes on the NDF website at www.noska.sk or contact the NDF Call Centre on 0960 960 960.
