BRATISLAVA, December 15, (WEBNOVINY) — Major-General Peter Vojtek has become the new Chief of the General Staff of Slovakia’s Armed Forces, replacing General Lubomir Bulik. President Ivan Gasparovic appointed the former commander of the Training and Support Forces of the Slovak Republic to the post on Thursday. Gasparovic said that Vojtek’s key task will be to modernize equipment of the armed forces. “We have become an army of professionals but such army also needs state-of-art, modern and mainly professional equipment. It will not be simple, but it is one of your serious tasks,” said the head of state during the ceremonial act in the Presidential Palace.
The president thinks that defense ministers who are from the ranks of civilians do not always understand best the army’s needs. He therefore appealed to Vojtek to clearly formulate what equipment the army needs in consultations with the defense minister. The president added that the new Chief of General Staff will have his support regarding the task of boosting the armed forces. The president underscored that after early elections in March he will address the same challenge to the new minister of defense.
The head of state also thanked General Lubomir Bulik whom he dismissed from the post on Thursday for his more than 35 years of service for the Slovak Army. He gave high marks to Slovak troops‘ participation in peace-keeping missions, which is highly praised also by Slovakia’s foreign partners. Gasparovic highlighted that the armed forces is one of the most trusted institutions among citizens, mainly due to assistance they provide in natural disasters.
SITA