Meeting with members of 14th Slovenian ISAF Mission Contingent

Novo mesto, 24.7.2010  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia and the Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Dr Danilo Türk, visited the Novo mesto barracks where he was given a presentation of the training of the members of the 14th Slovenian ISAF Mission Contingent before their secondment to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. There are 90 members of the Slovenian Armed Forces in the Contingent which will, in autumn, assume independent control of its own operational mentor and liaison team (the OMLT); they will be joined by 11 members of the United States National Guard whose task will be to both supplement the mentor programme in respect of some duties of the command and reinforce one of the five troops of the Afghanistan battalion.

The members of the 14th Slovenian ISAF Mission Contingent presented to Dr Türk the Contingent's preparations to date, the training undertaken and acquainted him with the tasks that lie ahead of them before their departure for Afghanistan in October. Dr Türk also attended a tactical exercise of the Contingent's operation where he was shown one of the situations from the list of tasks to be performed in Afghanistan. In the demonstration exercise, the soldiers presented the movement of the convoy of the troop's mentor team who came across an explosive device when returning to their military base. After the simulated damage of one of the vehicles, the members of the convoy inspected and protected the terrain, provided the injured with emergency medical care and transport, prepared the damaged vehicle for evacuation and – by resuming the movement of the convoy – successfully completed the exercise.

Dr Türk congratulated the members of the 14th Slovenian ISAF Mission Contingent on successfully completing the exercise. He expressed his belief that the comprehensive training undergone thus far has been a success, and that this would continue to be the case. He also emphasised that the Contingent is properly equipped, well organised and has an excellent command structure. He separately welcomed the members of the US National Guard and expressed his satisfaction with the excellent and efficient levels of cooperation between Slovenian and American soldiers. Dr Türk also pointed out that Slovenia expected the members of the Contingent to not only be militarily successful, but also self-confident. He wished them success in furthering their excellent representation of their homeland and in the performance of their mission objectives.

In a statement to the press after the talks with the members of the Contingent, Dr Türk highlighted their excellent levels of motivation, stressing that after several months of training they are well prepared and equipped. In response to a press question on the participation of Slovenian soldiers in peacekeeping missions abroad, Dr Türk said that, in the future, forces should be appropriately concentrated in areas where we possess the required specialisation. He also supported the idea of amending the Defence Act, which would require approval from the National Assembly on the Government's decision regarding the initial secondment of Slovenian soldiers to every peacekeeping operation. Approval would also be required for other decisions such as the termination of participation in operations, as well as any major changes to be made in relation to peacekeeping operation mandates or the number of Slovenian participants in these operations. In Dr Türk's opinion, developing the competence of the National Assembly to ensure timely decision-making and, in particular, the required standard of political preparation would contribute to enhancing confidence in the decisions which are adopted.