Exercise Involving MPs Begins at Slovak Army's General Staff

Bratislava, 23 April (TASR) - A strategic-political level exercise focused on the state's response to potential threat scenarios has begun at the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, Slovak Army spokesman Stefan Zemanovic informed TASR on Thursday. MPs, members of the parliamentary defence and security committee and the committee for supervising the activities of Military Intelligence are taking part in the exercise as well. Slovakia's ability to respond will be tested in line with three scenarios that the country could face in the foreseeable future. The exercise is primarily focused on potential legislative obstacles. "The exercise is being organised based on the conclusions of a round-table discussion hosted by the Slovak president on 9 April," said Zemanovic. During a joint meeting at the Presidential Palace, representatives of opposition parties, the Defence Ministry and the Slovak army agreed to organise an exercise that will show how the Slovak Armed Forces would respond to certain types of threats. The exercise should identify specific legislative changes needed to ensure that Slovakia can be defended effectively. The round-table discussion on the issue was convened by President Peter Pellegrini. He and the army command believe that the Slovak Armed Forces need a better legal framework for responding to threats. He originally spoke about the need to amend the Constitution and introduce the possibility of declaring a state of alert. The opposition had reservations about such a plan, but it conceded that defence legislation needs to be amended. ko/df