Slovakia´s engagement
for the peace in the world

Slovakia is a netto contributor to peace and security in Europe and in the world. From the very first day of its independence on January 1, 1993, Slovak soldiers served in international peacekeeping operations under a UN mandate such as the Observation Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM) and UN Protection Force in the Balkans (UNPROFOR). When the first NATO and EU crisis management operations were deployed in 1990s, Slovakia was ready to act as their de facto member and a reliably ally.

During the 1990s and beyond Slovakia has been largely committed both militarily and politically to the peace process in the Balkan region. The first Slovak unit of infantry battalion operating within the UN Protection Force, a heritage from the Czecho-Slovak past engagement, was assigned with demilitarisation and humanitarian assistance tasks. Already in May 1993 Slovakia reinforced its presence in the region: it deployed approximately 600 volunteers of an engineer battalion to the UNPROFOR mission. After the termination of the UNPROFOR´s mandate, the Slovak engineer battalion was transferred into East Slavonia in Croatia where it carried out similar tasks under UNTAES mission mandate up to its completion in February 1998.

However, Slovakia did not withdraw its troops in 1998. Rather it started to operate for the first time under NATO authority. Slovakia helped in the transit of IFOR (Implementation Force) and was involved in building refugee camps and recovering roads as part of the the Allied Harbour Operation and the AFOR mission in Albania. A deployment in the Joint Guardian Operation and the KFOR mission was succeeded by our engagement in Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, providing staff officers and helicopter unit. Since 1993 Slovakia is present in this country also through European Community Monitoring Mission and its 2003 successor European Union Monitoring Mission. When in March 2003 the EU took over operation Allied Harmony in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from the NATO, Slovakia sent its officer to the HQ in Skopje.

Nevertheless Slovakia has not compromised on its efforts to bring reconciliation, humanitarian relief and peace to other nations outside the European continent. Slovakia has a good record of long-standing engagements in certain regions in Africa and in the Middle East, particularly in operations under a UN mandate and command, as recorded in the table of accomplished missions below. Even today the UN deployments outnumber those of the EU and NATO. However, being on the doorway of both the NATO and the EU, Slovakia is seeking to find a balance between crisis management deployments under the UN mandate on the one hand and cooperation with Allies on the other hand. The latest deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq enter perfectly in that logic.

Currently more than 750 soldiers are deployed around the world fulfilling a wide range of tasks, from the military observation mission to humanitarian assistance, demining and peace-keeping operations, as recorded in the table below.

In Afghanistan, Slovakia joined the coalition forces in Operation Enduring Freedom in June 2002, when the National Council of the Slovak Republic approved the deployment of a contingent of 40 engineers and airfield maintenance specialists to the vicinity of Baghram. Slovak government envisaged further engagement in Afghanistan within the ISAF operation by approving on February 17, 2004, the deployment of a demining and engineer unit (16 soldiers) and an officer for the Kabul multinational HQ to be effective latter in the spring. The final decision still lies with the National Council.

Slovakia got involved in two separate missions when responding to the crisis in Iraq. Firstly, during the operation of coalition forces Enduring Freedom II, a Slovak Company of radiological, chemical and biological protection integrated in the Czech-Slovak chemical battalion was deployed from March to mid June 2003 in Kuwait Camp Doha. A Slovak team of 70 soldiers, who monitored radiation and overall chemical and biological situation, was reinforced by 4 additional men assigned with patrolling and surveillance tasks. Consequently, the National Council of the Slovak Republic approved on June 19, 2003 the deployment of Slovak Engineer Company within the framework of stabilisation force in the Polish sector in Iraq. These 105 Slovak engineers, based in Al Hillah, between Baghdad and Basra, are mainly entrusted with the demining and pyrotechnic tasks, as well as with dismantling and liquidation of arms and munitions.

Further reading: In the Service of Peace