Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš has said that, if necessary, Slovakia is ready to participate in the creation of new NATO command structures. He was speaking following a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels on Wednesday. The organisation's command structure needs to reflect the current security situation in Europe - he noted. According to several Member States, the deployment of NATO command structures does not adequately reflect it.
Gajdoš said it is necessary to strengthen the command structures and also to review the military capabilities of all Member States under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. He added that a commission is to be set up for this purpose, which in a few months' time, will examine the situation and then take appropriate action.
Asked by the TASR agency whether Slovakia will, if necessary, "fight for" their location on its territory, Gajdoš warned that it is not a short process. "Command structures won't be deployed right now. Everything will be decided following expert analysis and actual deployment entails the consensus of all the Allies" he explained.
Gajdoš said that, thanks to the Nato Force Integration Unit-Slovakia, by the end of the year the country will have achieved initial operational capability. From 1 June 2017 NFIU-Slovakia will be fully ready, which means that operational tasks can be secured for alliance forces on Slovak territory. He recalled that last year and this year Slovak planners took part in mapping out NATO operational requirements and have the necessary experience in this field.
