Important Texts 2000

United States Upgrades Military Ties With Slovakia

Feb. 1, 2000

The US Security Assistance Office at the Ministry of Defense has been redesignated as an Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC). US Charge' d'Affaires Douglas C. Hengel stated, "This change reflects a further deepening of the relations between the militaries of the United States and the Slovak Republic. It is traditional that all US NATO allies have ODCs rather than Security Assistance Offices, and this change is an expression of our confidence in Slovakia's progress in that direction." Plans for the ODC include the addition of a Defense Cooperation in Armaments officer who will focus on exploring potential US-Slovak military co-production agreements, and a full time English Language coordinator who will assist the Defense Ministry's English training program.

The US has provided nearly USD 16 million in military assistance through this office under the "Warsaw Initiative" program over the last four years. These funds went to purchase military goods and services that enhance the Slovak military's interoperability with NATO, including such items as the English language training laboratories and books, the Air Sovereignty.

Operations Center in Zvolen, and tactical radios for the Rapid Deployment Battalion. The Chief of the ODC, Major Courtney W. PAUL, added that January 2000 also saw the 100th Slovak student depart for the United States for training since the office was established in 1996. The ODC is co-located with the US Military Liaison Team and the Partnership for Peace Coordination Office at the Ministry of Defense.