BRATISLAVA, January 7, (WEBNOVINY) – Members of the Slovak Armed Forces are well trained and their trustworthiness is high not only at home, but also in other countries. The public in Slovakia thinks that real professionals work in the armed forces, according to a survey conducted by the polling agency Focus. It surveyed 1,040 respondents between November 30 and December 6, 2010. „The results thus explain, why the reputation of the armed forces in the eyes of the public is so high,” Ivan Rudolf of the Ministry of Defense told SITA news wire.
Almost 77 percent of the adult population is convinced that Slovak troops are well trained. “Only one in ten citizens holds an opposite opinion. A little over 12 percent was not able to present a stance,” informed Rudolf. The perception of professionalism of our soldiers was similar. “More than two thirds do agree. Only 17 percent of those polled did not think that the soldiers are really be professionals and 11 percent were not able to answer the question,” said Rudolf.
Defense Minister Lubomir Galko is happy with the results. “The Ministry of Defense is coping with long-term budget cuts, but in spite of that we manage to maintain a high quality. The more I’m pleased by the trust of our citizens in our professionals. Slovak military professionals are doing an excellent job not only at home with natural catastrophes, but abroad as well,” commented Galko.
Also other results of the survey show high trust in the army not only at home, but also in other countries. As Rudolf informed, more than half of citizens is convinced, that also foreign allies have high trust in Slovakia’s armed forces. “The armed forces are in the long run among the most trusted institutions in Slovakia. According to the survey, 94.2 percent of adult population agrees that it is a good thing that we have armed forces which are able of helping when needed, for example during floods,” concluded Rudolf.
SITA