History UsefulNotes / SlovaksWithSappers

To get a good idea about the current structure of the armed forces, you can visit [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Slovakia_Army.png this nifty overview]] or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Slovakia this detailed article]] on Wiki/ThatOtherWiki.

The backbone of the army are the Ground Forces (''Pozemné sily''), followed by the Air Force (''Vzdušné sily'') and then by various training and support branches. The air force these days is rather small, particularly when compared with the Czech and Polish one, and recently there's been much talk about its modernization (particularly the [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sme.sk%2Fc%2F4232523%2Fvlada-potvrdila-ze-nakupi-spartan.html&sl=sk&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 purchase of new transport planes]] and the upkeep of the country's [=MiG=] 29s). The disbanding of the domestic air flight academy a few years ago (in order to supposedly [[MoneyDearBoy save on the defence budget expenses]]) [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment remains controversial to this day]].

The backbone of the army are the Ground Forces (''Pozemné sily''), followed by the Air Force (''Vzdušné sily'') and then by various training and support branches. The air force these days is rather small, particularly when compared with the Czech and Polish one, and recently there's been much talk about its modernization (particularly the [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sme.sk%2Fc%2F4232523%2Fvlada-potvrdila-ze-nakupi-spartan.html&sl=sk&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 purchase of new transport planes]] and the upkeep of the country's [=MiG=] 29s). The disbanding of the domestic air flight academy a few years ago (in order to supposedly [[MoneyDearBoy save on the defence budget expenses]]) [[InternetBackdraft remains controversial to this day]].

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!!Tropes about the Slovak armed forces :
* AwesomePersonnelCarrier : The various BMP-1 and BMP-2 variants and some Czechoslovak-built APCs, like the wheeled [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OT-64_SKOT OT-64]]. A recent domestic design is the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatrapan TATRAPAN]]'' [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album469 armored utility truck]]. It can be used as a small APC, a gun truck, a logistics center or field lab and as [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album443 an ambulance]].
* BadassBookworm / GeniusBruiser : The sapper units, full stop. Hey, fighting at the frontline might be the usual idea of "war", but at the end of the day, someone's got to clean up all those nasty mines or other threats left behind by extensive fighting. Not to mention aiding reconstruction efforts in war-torn areas...
* CoolCar : The [[AwesomeMcCoolName Alligator]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album357 armored car]], [[http://www.kerametal.sk/pdf/kerametal-aligator.pdf a domestic design]]. Good as a multi-purpose scouting vehicle. Bullet-proof, partly amphibious and can be modified with various types of turrets and other additional kit. Early versions of the vehicle had [[FlawedPrototype less reliable engines]], so it received quite a few revisions before it went into its full production run.
* CoolPlane : An exact dozen of upgraded [=MiG=] 29s ([[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album18 10 "A"s]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album434 2 "UB"s]]) form the country's [[http://www.1sqn.sk/index-tiger-en.htm main fighter wing]] and are to remain in service until the 2020s at the latest. Their future replacements will probably be [[UsefulNotes/SwedesWithCoolPlanes Swedish]] SAAB JAS 39 Gripens (which are already being used by Czechs and, to an extent, Hungarians). As for jet trainers, the role is filled with the old but reliable Aero L-39 Albatros (variants [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album432 CM]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album457 ZAM]]). This is unsurprising, given how it originates [[UsefulNotes/CzechRepublic from right next door]]. [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album350 Sukhoi Su-25s]] were in service until the late 90s and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album427 Su-22s]] were decomissioned in the early 2000s. Some of the Su-25 Frogfoots were sold to {{UsefulNotes/Armenia}} (you can find a few photos taken shortly after their delivery, where they still have the Slovak coat of arms as their roundel).
** The [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album211 Mi-24]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album286 attack]] [[http://www.vojak.mil.sk/data/att/13427_obr2.jpg helicopters]] are the chopper variety of the trope. Sadly, they were phased out by the beginning of 2012, since their upkeep and modernization was already expensive and there were few of them left anyway. There are plans for a greater budgetary push towards the more useful BoringButPractical [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album213 Mi-17s]] and transport planes (including the purchase of Alenia C-27J Spartans to replace the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album280 two Antonov An-26 Curls]]). Some of the older planes in the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album458 LET L-410 Turbolet]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album459 light transport fleet]] had been replaced with new ones in the autumn of 2012. (The exchange didn't go completely smoothly : Some of its circumstances were criticized, i.e. that the purchase seemed to be artificially overpriced.)
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous : The 5th Special Forces Regiment, a spec ops / counter-terrorist paratrooper unit.
* TheEngineer : As already mentioned, the country's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] in the context of NATO is expert sapper work. Thankfully, it doesn't go to the point of CripplingOverspecialization.
* ICallItVera : A lot of the home-produced or modified vehicles have female names, i. e. the [[http://ossr.vksoft.eu/images/zem/zuzana8x81.jpg self-propelled]] [[http://www.vojenskatechnika.sk/zuzana/zuzana02.jpg howitzer]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/155mm_SpGH_ZUZANA ZUZANA]]'' ("Susan") and the remote-controlled [[http://www.bozena.eu/ mine clearance vehicle]] ''[[http://www.behindthename.com/name/boz18ena Božena]]''. The ''ZUZANA'' is an evolution of the older Czechoslovak wheeled SPO ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DANA DANA]]'' (whose name itself displays FunWithAcronyms properties, since in Czech it means '''D'''ělo '''A'''utomobilní '''N'''abíjené '''A'''utomaticky ("Automobile Artillery, Reloaded Automatically"). A later experimental version of ''ZUZANA'', called ''[[http://ossr.vksoft.eu/images/zem/zuzana1.jpg HIMALAYA]]'', can be best described as a MilitaryMashupMachine : It keeps the turret, but is mounted ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill on a modified T-72 chassis]]''.
* InternetBackdraft : Virtually any debate about the future of the Air Force.
* LongRunners : Due to their durability and time-tested qualities, the old [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album404 Praga V3S]] army trucks are still being used as light transports in both the Slovak and Czech army. Here's the kicker : They've been designed (and many of them built) ''way back in the 1950s-1960s''. Their manufacturer itself, ''Praga'', has been defunct for decades. [[http://www.volny.cz/nex/auta/obr-sk/praga-v3s.jpg They're]] the UglyCute of army trucks. Oh, and if you've ever played ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint'' or ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}} II'', you've probably noticed these [[ShoutOut being used]] by the LaResistance in the game. Despite good maintenance, the V3Ss are starting to show their age and are going to be gradually replaced by the domestically produced [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album403?page=1 AKTIS MW 11]] light truck.
* MilitaryAcademy : Just outside the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. The air force had a separate training academy in Košice until the early 2000s, but it was disbanded and integrated into the aviation faculty of the Košice University of Technology.
* SurveillanceDrone : The army bought 5 light, hand-launched Israeli Elbit Skylark [-UAV-]s a few years ago.
* TankGoodness : The classic T-72 [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album473?page=1 is the country's main battle tank]]. They're kind of a mix : Some are of Soviet manufacture, but a few of them belong to an original (and rare) domestic Czechoslovak variant, dubbed "[[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album472 Moderna]]". In recent years, Slovak tanks have been gradually phased out due to their increasing age and overall expense, in accord with the current efforts of modernizing the armed forces and rationalizing the defense budget. The last 30 T-72s are set to retire in early 2012. The saved money is going to be poured into the other mechanized branches and new acquisitions for the Ground Forces.
* TechnicalPacifist : Since the military is small, its role is defensive and it focuses mainly on domestic and foreign disaster relief and NATO and [[UsefulNotes/UnitedNations UN]] peacekeeping missions abroad (most notably in {{UsefulNotes/Kosovo}}, {{UsefulNotes/Cyprus}}, {{UsefulNotes/Iraq}} and {{UsefulNotes/Afghanistan}}).
* WeaponizedCar : A quasi-version of this trope in the form of the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAMS BRAMS]]'' AntiAir vehicle and the aforementioned ''ZUZANA'' SPA and ''TATRAPAN'', which are all built on a modified chasis of a heavy-duty 8x8 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_815 Tatra 815 truck]] (itself [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album481 the standard]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album212 heavy transport]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album461 of the army]]).

* [[RussiansWithRustingRockets Slovaks With Rusting Army Tech]] : Actually averted quite well by the Ground Forces. [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in the case of the Air Force, which has the added trouble of having to convert itself from a heavily armed UsefulNotes/ColdWar era frontline force to a smaller and more managable body, focused more on ground forces support and some basic air superiority.

The backbone of the army are the Ground Forces (''Pozemné sily''), followed by the Air Force (''Vzdušné sily'') and then by various training and support branches. The air force these days is rather small, particularly when compared with the Czech and Polish one, and recently there's been much talk about its modernization (particularly the [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sme.sk%2Fc%2F4232523%2Fvlada-potvrdila-ze-nakupi-spartan.html&sl=sk&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 purchase of new transport planes]] and the upkeep of the country's MiG 29s). The disbanding of the domestic air flight academy a few years ago (in order to supposedly [[MoneyDearBoy save on the defence budget expenses]]) [[InternetBackdraft remains controversial to this day]].

* CoolPlane : An exact dozen of upgraded MiG 29s ([[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album18 10 "A"s]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album434 2 "UB"s]]) form the country's [[http://www.1sqn.sk/index-tiger-en.htm main fighter wing]] and are to remain in service until the 2020s at the latest. Their future replacements will probably be [[UsefulNotes/SwedesWithCoolPlanes Swedish]] SAAB JAS 39 Gripens (which are already being used by Czechs and, to an extent, Hungarians). As for jet trainers, the role is filled with the old but reliable Aero L-39 Albatros (variants [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album432 CM]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album457 ZAM]]). This is unsurprising, given how it originates [[UsefulNotes/CzechRepublic from right next door]]. [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album350 Sukhoi Su-25s]] were in service until the late 90s and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album427 Su-22s]] were decomissioned in the early 2000s. Some of the Su-25 Frogfoots were sold to {{UsefulNotes/Armenia}} (you can find a few photos taken shortly after their delivery, where they still have the Slovak coat of arms as their roundel).

* AwesomeYetPractical : The remote-controlled mine clearance vehicles developed for the sapper units and overseas sales. In terms of construction, they're usually based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_flail mine flail]] principle, or a combination of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine roller]] and mine flail.

* LongRunners : Due to their durability and time-tested qualities, the old [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album404 Praga V3S]] army trucks are still being used as light transports in both the Slovak and Czech army. Here's the kicker : They've been designed (and many of them built) ''way back in the 1950s-1960s''. Their manufacturer itself, ''Praga'', has been defunct for decades. [[http://www.volny.cz/nex/auta/obr-sk/praga-v3s.jpg They're]] the UglyCute of army trucks. Oh, and if you've ever played ''OperationFlashpoint'' or ''{{ARMA}} II'', you've probably noticed these [[ShoutOut being used]] by the LaResistance in the game. Despite good maintenance, the V3Ss are starting to show their age and are going to be gradually replaced by the domestically produced [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album403?page=1 AKTIS MW 11]] light truck.

To get a good idea about the current structure of the armed forces, you can visit [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Slovakia_Army.png this nifty overview]] or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Slovakia this detailed article]] on ThatOtherWiki.

* CoolPlane : An exact dozen of upgraded MiG 29s ([[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album18 10 "A"s]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album434 2 "UB"s]]) form the country's [[http://www.1sqn.sk/index-tiger-en.htm main fighter wing]] and are to remain in service until the 2020s at the latest. Their future replacements will probably be [[SwedesWithCoolPlanes Swedish]] SAAB JAS 39 Gripens (which are already being used by Czechs and, to an extent, Hungarians). As for jet trainers, the role is filled with the old but reliable Aero L-39 Albatros (variants [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album432 CM]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album457 ZAM]]). This is unsurprising, given how it originates [[UsefulNotes/CzechRepublic from right next door]]. [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album350 Sukhoi Su-25s]] were in service until the late 90s and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album427 Su-22s]] were decomissioned in the early 2000s. Some of the Su-25 Frogfoots were sold to {{UsefulNotes/Armenia}} (you can find a few photos taken shortly after their delivery, where they still have the Slovak coat of arms as their roundel).

----

The modern military of the Slovak Republic, a.k.a. {{UsefulNotes/Slovakia}}, was founded in 1993, after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. It started operating as a {{NATO}} force in 2004, when the country became a member of the alliance. Its official name is ''Ozbrojené sily Slovenskej republiky'' ("The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic").

Since Slovakia is a former WarsawPact country, its vehicles and equipment are of mostly Czechoslovak and Soviet design. Most of this stuff is upgraded nowadays and many of the not-relevant-since-the-ColdWar-ended vehicles have been gradually phased out since the 1990s. The army is also fully professional these days, with the compulsory military service for men having been abolished on the 1st of January 2006 (though there's still a law for conscription in emergency cases, i. e. the country getting under full-blown attack).

* [[RussiansWithRustingRockets Slovaks With Rusting Army Tech]] : Actually averted quite well by the Ground Forces. [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in the case of the Air Force, which has the added trouble of having to convert itself from a heavily armed ColdWar era frontline force to a smaller and more managable body, focused more on ground forces support and some basic air superiority.

* TechnicalPacifist : Since the military is small, its role is defensive and it focuses mainly on domestic and foreign disaster relief and NATO and [[UnitedNations UN]] peacekeeping missions abroad (most notably in {{UsefulNotes/Kosovo}}, {{UsefulNotes/Cyprus}}, {{UsefulNotes/Iraq}} and {{UsefulNotes/Afghanistan}}).

* AwesomeYetPractical : The remote-controlled mine clearance vehicles developed for the sapper units and overseas sales. In terms of construction, they're usually based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_flail mine flail]] principle or a combination of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine roller]] and mine flail.
* BadassBookworm / GeniusBruiser : The sapper units, full stop. Hey, fighting at the frontline might be the usual idea of "war", but at the end of the day, someone's got to clean up all those nasty mines or other threats left behind by extinsive fighting. Not to mention aiding reconstruction efforts in war-torn areas...

** The [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album211 Mi-24]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album286 attack]] [[http://www.vojak.mil.sk/data/att/13427_obr2.jpg helicopters]] are the chopper variety of the trope. Sadly, they're about to be phased out by the beginning of 2012, since their upkeep and modernization was already expensive and there were few of them left anyway. There are plans for a greater budgetary push towards the more useful BoringButPractical [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album213 Mi-17s]] and transport planes (including the purchase of Alenia C-27J Spartans to replace the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album280 two Antonov An-26 Curls]]). Some of the older planes in the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album458 LET L-410 Turbolet]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album459 light transport fleet]] had been replaced with new ones in the autumn of 2012. (The exchange didn't go completely smoothly : Some of its circumstances were criticized, i.e. that the purchase seemed to be artificially overpriced.)

** The [[Mi-24]] [[http://www.vojak.mil.sk/data/att/13427_obr2.jpg attack helicopters]] are the chopper variety of the trope. Sadly, they're about to be phased out by the beginning of 2012, since their upkeep and modernization was already expensive and there were few of them left anyway. There are plans for a greater budgetary push towards the more useful BoringButPractical [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album213 Mi-17s]] and transport planes (including the purchase of Alenia C-27J Spartans to replace the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album280 two Antonov An-26 Curls]]). Some of the older planes in the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album458 LET L-410 Turbolet]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album459 light transport fleet]] had been replaced with new ones in the autumn of 2012. (The exchange didn't go completely smoothly : Some of its circumstances were criticized, i.e. that the purchase seemed to be artificially overpriced.)

** The Mi-24 attack helicopters are the chopper variety of the trope. Sadly, they're about to be phased out by the beginning of 2012, since their upkeep and modernization was already expensive and there were few of them left anyway. There are plans for a greater budgetary push towards the more useful BoringButPractical [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album213 Mi-17s]] and transport planes (including the purchase of Alenia C-27J Spartans to replace the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album280 two Antonov An-26 Curls]]). Some of the older planes in the [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album458 LET L-410 Turbolet]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album459 light transport fleet]] had been replaced with new ones in the autumn of 2012. (The exchange didn't go completely smoothly : Some of its circumstances were criticized, i.e. that the purchase seemed to be artificially overpriced.)

* TechnicalPacifist : Since the military is small, its role is defensive and it focuses mainly on domestic and foreign disaster relief and NATO and UN peacekeeping missions abroad (most notably in {{UsefulNotes/Kosovo}}, {{UsefulNotes/Cyprus}}, {{UsefulNotes/Iraq}} and {{UsefulNotes/Afghanistan}}).

The modern military of the Slovak Republic, a.k.a. {{UsefulNotes/Slovakia}}, was founded in 1993, after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. It started operating as a NATO force in 2004, when the country became a member of the alliance. Its official name is ''Ozbrojené sily Slovenskej republiky'' ("The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic").

* TechnicalPacifist : Since the military is small, its role is defensive and it focuses mainly on domestic and foreign disaster relief and NATO and UN peacekeeping missions abroad (most notably in Kosovo, Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan).

* CoolPlane : An exact dozen of upgraded MiG 29s ([[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album18 10 "A"s]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album434 2 "UB"s]]) form the country's [[http://www.1sqn.sk/index-tiger-en.htm main fighter wing]] and are to remain in service until the 2020s at the latest. Their future replacements will probably be [[SwedesWithCoolPlanes Swedish]] SAAB JAS 39 Gripens (which are already being used by Czechs and, to an extent, Hungarians). As for jet trainers, the role is filled with the old but reliable Aero L-39 Albatros variants [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album432 CM]] and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album457 ZAM]]. This is unsurprising, given how it originates [[UsefulNotes/CzechRepublic from right next door]]. [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album350 Sukhoi Su-25s]] were in service until the late 90s and [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album427 Su-22s]] were decomissioned in the early 2000s. Some of the Su-25 Frogfoots were sold to {{UsefulNotes/Armenia}} (you can find a few photos taken shortly after their delivery, where they still have the Slovak coat of arms as their roundel).

The backbone of the army are the Ground Forces (''Pozemné sily''), followed by the Air Force (''Vzdušné sily'') and then by various training and support branches. The air force these days is rather small, particularly when compared with the Czech and Polish one, and recently there's been much talk about its modernization (particularly the [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sme.sk%2Fc%2F4232523%2Fvlada-potvrdila-ze-nakupi-spartan.html&sl=sk&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 purchase of new transport planes]] and the upkeep of the country's Mig 29s). The disbanding of the domestic air flight academy a few years ago (in order to supposedly [[MoneyDearBoy save on the defence budget expenses]]) [[InternetBackdraft remains controversial to this day]].

* CoolPlane : An exact dozen of upgraded MiG 29s form the country's [[http://www.1sqn.sk/index-tiger-en.htm main fighter wing]] and are to remain in service until the 2020s at the latest. Their future replacements will probably be [[SwedesWithCoolPlanes Swedish]] SAAB JAS 39 Gripens (which are already being used by Czechs and, to an extent, Hungarians). As for jet trainers, the role is filled with the old but reliable Aero L-39 Albatros (which is unsurprising, given how it originates [[UsefulNotes/CzechRepublic from right next door]]). Sukhoi Su-25s were in service until the late 90s and Su-22s were decomissioned in the early 2000s. Some of the Su-25 Frogfoots were sold to Armenia (you can find a few photos taken shortly after their delivery, where they still have the Slovak coat of arms as their roundel).
** The Mi-24 attack helicopters are the chopper variety of the trope. Sadly, they're about to be phased out by the beginning of 2012, since their upkeep and modernization was already expensive and there were few of them left anyway. There are plans for a greater budgetary push towards the more useful BoringButPractical Mi-17s and transport planes (including the purchase of Alenia C-27J Spartans to replace the two Antonov An-26 Curls).

* AwesomeYetPractical : The remote-controlled mine clearance vehicles developed for the sapper units and overseas sales.

Until about a decade ago, the armed forces were separated into three distinct, semi-autonomous branches : The Army (''Armáda'') itself, the Army of the Ministry of Interior (''Vojsko Ministerstva vnútra'') and the so-called Railway Army (''Železničné vojsko''). The latter two branches were integrated into the Army in 2002, creating the current version of the armed forces (including the change to its newer, currently used name).

* WeaponizedCar : A quasi-version of this trope in the form of the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAMS BRAMS]]'' AntiAir vehicle and the aforementioned ''ZUZANA'' SPA and ''TATRAPAN'', which are all built on a modified chasis of a heavy-duty 8x8 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_815 Tatra 815 truck]] (itself [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album481 the standard]] [[http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/album212 heavy transport]] of the army).