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2005 Press Releases

National Military Command Center Transferred to Slovak Ministry of Defense

Bratislava, April 26, 2005

The National Military Command Center (NMCC) was officially transferred from the U.S. Government to the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic April 26.

The new center provides to the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Defense a modern, technologically-advanced and integrated military command center to direct both military operations and non-military crisis management activities involving the Armed Forces.

"The NMCC was built for the Ministry of Defense by the Northrup Grumman Corporation at a cost of over $3.8 million (115 million SKK) using security assistance funding from the United States," said U.S. Charge d'Affaires Scott Thayer. "I am especially pleased to see this day because I first began working on this project in 2001, while I was still working in Washington. Four years later, a crucial link in Slovakia's interoperability capability with the United States and other NATO allies is ready,"

Mr. Thayer said, "It is yet another demonstration of the strong partnership between Slovakia and the United States. It is also important to note that this center will be an important link in Slovakia's domestic crisis management network, enhancing the ability of the Slovak Government to respond to domestic crises like natural disasters."

The NMCC is a secure facility for data integration and information processing, display and distribution. It is intended to be used by the MOD and the General Staff to support senior national decision-making in crisis situations. It will assist the Slovak MOD in coordinating military and civilian activities in support of military operations and crisis management, both at a national level and for regional situations.

The NMCC is one part of the total support system for nations to use in dealing with crisis situations; it is intended to work in conjunction with many other essential parts of a national crisis management framework. This system will interface with Land Forces, Air Forces and Training and Support Force Headquarters, military and civil information system sources, and with national and regional civilian agencies and organizations involved with crisis management. As such, the NMCC is one part of the entire national response mechanism.

The NMCC is technically compatible with NATO and U.S. command and control systems and will be able to work together with them.

In addition to support for NATO and military operations, the NMCC will assist the Armed Forces to address natural disasters and non-military threats to Slovakia. Earthquakes, floods, environmental disasters and other catastrophes may cause devastation and loss of life. In response to these situations, the MOD must be able to effectively apply national resources to provide assistance in the face of crisis situations. The NMCC would support both national civilian and military crisis response and regional collaboration within Europe.


In summary, the general tasks for the NMCC are:

  • To collect and handle information on the scope and nature of the crisis. This includes situational information, status of forces and resource information.
  • To provide the means to consolidate information received from disparate sources into a comprehensive picture for decision-making support at the highest national level.
  • To provide the capability to coordinate crisis response activities with other national organizations involved in the crisis management process.
  • To provide a mechanism for communications and dissemination of orders to relief units.