Have you thought about wanting to serve the homeland, defend it, and protect your loved ones and all those who are defenseless. To be an important part of society and a fundamental pillar of the feeling of safety and hope. Every day is the right opportunity for you to do so, and below we will explain how to do it.
„I solemnly swear that I will be loyal to the Slovak Republic. I promise that I will responsibly fulfill the tasks that the armed forces are given by the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, constitutional laws, and laws, and that I will carry out military orders. I will be an honest, brave, and disciplined soldier. I am ready to defend the freedom, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of the Slovak Republic and the inviolability of its borders. For this I am ready to devote all my strength and abilities, and even to risk my life. So I swear!“
And if you too feel a sense of national pride and have decided to become a soldier, let's talk about the conditions you must meet in order to enter military service. They mainly concern age, good character, reliability, capability, and of course, a citizen who wants to join must not be politically involved.
Conditions for admission to the armed forces:
- the main basic condition is a minimum age of 18 years and a maximum stated age of 30 years, due to the rank group of enlisted personnel, non-commissioned officers, and officers, or age 25 for those studying at the military university at the Armed Forces Academy of General M. R. Štefánik
- as for education, a minimum of secondary vocational education without a school-leaving exam (maturita) is required
- the applicant must be a citizen of the Slovak Republic or of a state that is a member of the European Union, or a member of an international organization that ensures common defense against attack
- must have permanent residence in Slovakia
- a condition is also proficiency in the state language
- the applicant must not be registered as a citizen who has previously refused to perform extraordinary service
- must meet requirements of good character, reliability, as well as health, mental, and physical fitness
- also required is full legal capacity
- occasionally must agree to perform state service according to the needs of the service authority
- as of the date of admission as a soldier, must not be a member of a political party or any political movement, and must also not conduct business or perform any other gainful activity
If you meet these conditions, then it is the right time to get started. And below we will explain how to do it:
1. A fundamental step is to submit an application, which is submitted either in paper form with a handwritten signature or electronically with a qualified electronic signature (if you were to send it unsigned, you have 5 days to send it to the Recruitment Group in your region, of course officially signed)
Furthermore, it is important that you provide all the necessary documents:
- identity card
- curriculum vitae
- questionnaire
- documents on completed education and courses attended
- certificates obtained
- certified copy of birth certificate
- confirmation from your attending physician
- sworn declaration, confirmation of completion of compulsory military service (if you completed it)
- It is essential to meet the mental fitness requirement, which will be verified through a psychodiagnostic examination and an interview with a psychologist, where they will assess:
- intellectual aptitude
- psychomotor tempo
- selected attention characteristics
- personality prerequisites focused on emotional stability
- adaptability in the environment
- responsibility and resistance to stress
- possible signs of socially risky behavior and eligibility for deployment to perform tasks outside the territory of the Slovak Republic
- ability of social contact and cooperation or managerial prerequisites
2. If you manage all of this, physical fitness follows, carried out by testing physical performance, where you will have to complete disciplines such as: - a 12-minute run, which is mandatory
- the optional ones include:
- sit-ups with trunk rotation or pull-ups on the bar for men
- sit-ups or standing long jump for women
- 10 x 10 meter shuttle run or 60 m run for both men and women
Physical fitness evaluation table
- And if you have managed all of this, your only remaining duty is to pass the medical fitness assessment, which is carried out at the Central Military Hospital in Ružomberok
It may also happen that you don't know which selection procedure to apply for, but we have thought of that for you too. The “selection procedures” are divided into four categories:
-
CANDIDATE - which includes preparatory state service - this is intended for those who have never served in the armed forces or other armed corps
-
however, you must have completed secondary vocational school with a certificate of apprenticeship, secondary school with a school-leaving exam, or grammar school
-
a condition is also age 18-30 years
-
if you were 31 years or older, you can apply for an age exemption
-
after completing training, a career awaits you in the rank corps of enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers
-
-
CADET AOS - preparatory state service - which means you also have never served in the armed forces or other armed corps
-
however, you must have completed secondary school with a school-leaving exam or grammar school
-
age is important here, you must be under 25 years old
-
you want to continue studying at university
-
after completing basic training, you will continue your studies at the Armed Forces Academy or other universities with which they have an agreement
-
where after successful completion you will join a military unit and a military career in the rank corps of officers awaits you
-
-
-
CADET DKVŠ - preparatory state service - also without prior service in the armed forces
-
for this level you must have completed a 2nd-degree university education
-
age under 30 years
-
however, if you are 31 years or older, you can then apply for an age exemption
-
after completing basic training, you will continue in an officer course for university graduates
-
after successful completion you will join a military unit and become an officer in your military career in the rank corps
-
-
-
PROFESSIONAL SOLDIER - temporary/permanent state service - you apply for this if you have already obtained a rank during service in the armed forces at some point in your life
-
you must also have completed secondary vocational school with a certificate of apprenticeship, secondary school/grammar school with a school-leaving exam, or university with a university diploma
-
your age will be under 45 years for temporary state service or, in the case of permanent state service, if you are at least 3 years short of meeting the age limit for the given rank
-
however, if you still do not meet the stated age limits, in that case you can also apply for an age exemption here
-
for professionals, you no longer undergo basic training, but immediately start in your position at the military unit, where you continue to develop and advance your career as a professional soldier
-
It looks like quite a challenge, but where there's a will, there's a way, so go for it with pride. It may be that you still have a lot ahead of you. Many experiences, new friendships, but undoubtedly also hard work, sweat, effort and a sense of satisfaction. It's definitely worth it.
This was confirmed by the general himself, who received the offer to command the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia. It was General Svetozár Naďovič, who, in an interview for Radio Regina Západ, together with his wife, came to the conclusion: „And my wife told me that I can be proud that I am being entrusted with such a function, that it is a historic event, and I will be there when this flagrant violation of international law is corrected.“
Even Lieutenant Colonel Dušan Maječrík remained a soldier at heart even outside of military service. Together with other enthusiasts, he keeps alive the legacy of Czechoslovak legionnaires from the time of the First World War.
I think that despite the hard work you will put in and the separation that will occur, the saying that war turns a boy into a man will prove true. Based on this, if all of this has drawn you in even more, let's explain what services the Slovak Republic offers in the OS SR (Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic) according to duration and specification.
State service is therefore divided into four categories:
-
preparatory state service, as the name suggests, is preparation for the performance of temporary state service or short-term state service. This preparation is carried out at a university or in a qualified training facility.
-
Basic training lasts 7 weeks
-
Individual specialized training lasts 1-7 weeks. The length depends on the specialization you are pursuing and your qualifications.
-
Officer course follows the completion of basic military training and lasts 13-44 weeks (also depending on specialization and qualifications)
-
University studies (Armed Forces Academy) last 5 years.
-
-
temporary state service is aimed at professional soldiers, who can remain in this service for a maximum of 17 years
-
permanent state service follows the completion of temporary service, and in this, appointed professional soldiers can remain until reaching the age of 55
-
short-term state service is intended for temporary coverage, by agreement on duration, but for a maximum of 1 year. If you wanted to extend your short-term state service, this is possible only for a maximum of 3 years.
As you may have discovered, military service would not only affect a part of your life, but it is quite possible that it will change it by 180 degrees. That is precisely why it is not suitable for every “greenhorn”. It requires courage, endurance, strength, and above all, one must want it, since the obligation to serve in the military ended 16 years ago. Whether that is good or not, judge for yourself.
