Minister Naď: Even the best trained service personnel cannot defend the State effectively without adequate equipment

The SVK Armed Forces' vital armoured vehicle capability has reached a point of obsolescence, as wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles are at the end of their service life with reduced operability at a time when demands on the readiness of the Slovak Armed Forces are growing. In response to this, the Ministry of Defence has submitted proposals to the Government to procure new fleets of 8x8 wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, tracked armoured fighting vehicles and tracked armoured vehicles. The Government has approved the MOD's proposals today.

Reflecting on the MOD's proposals, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I would say this need has become a necessity and is best expressed by a comparison to an insurance policy. Every responsible person takes out an insurance policy in case he might need it in the future. The Slovak Armed Forces has such an insurance scheme to provide cover for every citizen of our State, although they can do their job only with the equipment they have available at a given time. So, investments in armaments must be viewed in the context of ensuring the defence and security of the Slovak Republic and taking a responsible approach to collective defence of Allies. Even the best trained service personnel cannot defend the State effectively without adequate equipment.”

The necessity to replace the fleets of tracked armoured fighting vehicles and tracked armoured vehicles reflects the status of BVP-1s, BVP-2s and BVP Ms the Slovak Armed Forces have in their inventory. In June 2021, the operability of the vehicles was reported at 30 per cent, whereas in-service support and spare parts for the vehicles from the manufacturers were critically unavailable. Therefore, their replacement is deemed necessary to preserve the SVK Army's armoured capability and to deliver on Slovakia's international commitment to stand up a Heavy Mechanised Brigade under its 2017 NATO Capability Targets.

The 8x8 Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Programme is instrumental to regenerating the Slovak Armed Forces' required armoured capability and is at the core of a heavy mechanised battalion to be stood up and to be on stand-by under the NATO Readiness Initiative, which the Slovak Republic has committed to as part of its commitments to NATO's collective defence. The 8x8 wheeled armoured fighting vehicle is among the mainstays of Allied land warfighting capability. However, the Slovak Armed Forces have no such capability. Building on the previous procurement programme for this vehicle type, the MOD is reviewing the number of required AFVs in line with the economic situation and the course of action to be taken.

Both wheeled and tracked vehicle programmes will be implemented via a Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement. This guarantees transparency and excludes any form of corruption. Alongside the SVK military's requirements, the SVK defence industry's role in the programme will be a major factor in evaluating the government proposals and selecting the winner. Both proposals have passed the interdepartmental consultations, and so have the evaluation procedure by the Value for Money Unit at the SVK Ministry of Finance.