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In addition to Allied assistance, we are seeking our own solution to Slovakia's Air Defence Capability

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

19.06.2023

Today (19 June 2023), Defence Minister Martin Sklenár has departed to Paris and is now taking part in a conference of EU defence ministers on Europe's air and missile defence. The conference offers an opportunity to seek a common European approach and strategy for building up the continent's air defences capable of defeating the air threats of the 21st century. This topical issue is of extreme importance, even to Slovakia.

After gathering all of the Slovak Armed Forces' ground-based air defence (GBAD) requirements just a few weeks ago, Slovakia has launched the process of finding the best solution to its own air defences. Due to the complexity of the project, it will be a long-term and gradual process in which specific air and missile defence systems will be acquired in four stages. The Slovak Defence Ministry is now in Phase 1 of the Air Defence Capability programme - work is ongoing to get the programme ready for formal approval from the Slovak government in the shortest possible time frame.

On Slovakia's future Air Defence Capability, Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: "Ground Based Air Defence is one of the key capabilities to secure Slovakiaʼs own defences. We have perceived the need for our own complex and advanced GBAD capability in the long run. At the end of the process, it will be an integrated system with many digitally networked platforms, which will, of course, allow full compatibility with the Allianceʼs capabilities and will be ready to protect European and NATO airspace."

Under Stage 1, a mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM-M) system and 12 man-portable air defence (MANPAD) systems are to be procured along with associated logistics support, trucks and other components, worth up to €200m. Fully aligned to the Ministry of Defence's Long-Term Development Plan with Outlook to 2035, the delivery of the Air Defence Capability programme will be funded from the planned Defence budget.

To this end, the Slovak Defence Ministry has already approached 11 countries that have the manufacturing potential for the air and missile defence systems. Offers in response to Slovakia's MRSAM-M and MANPAD Request for Government Proposal (RfGP) must be submitted by the end of July 2023. Subsequently, a team of MOD subject matter experts will evaluate them against predetermined evaluation criteria. The final bidders' ranking will be established accordingly.

Defence Minister Sklenár concluded: "Overall, of course, the priority is to deliver high quality and high efficiency [technologies] to suit the requirements of the Armed Forces and other subject matter experts, as well as ensuring transparency and promotion of bilateral cooperation, which should be guaranteed by a government-to-government (G2G) agreement."