BRATISLAVA, December 16, (WEBNOVINY) — Newly appointed Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, Major General Peter Vojtek, who took office on Friday, continues the tradition of so-called army Fridays in English, introduced by his predecessor, General Lubomir Bulik As is a tradition on every Friday, also today the first major briefing of commanders was in English, which is the main language of communication in NATO. „We are a part of NATO, where partners officially communicate with each other using English and French. Maintaining a high level of language skills is therefore essential,“ said Major General Vojtek. „As I said when I was appointed into office, I want to continue with everything positive that we together have achieved in recent years in the Armed Forces. Let continuity be the essential slogan for the coming period in favor of fulfilling tasks of the Armed Forces,“ said the new Chief of General Staff. He suggested, however, that some things need to change. „We must be prepared to press for the necessary changes that will lead to improved efficiency of functioning of the Armed Forces. The period ahead will be difficult. I personally believe that next year will bring further new challenges that we in the defense department and the Armed Forces will to face together,“ said Major General Vojtek.
Friday morning briefings of the General Staff command in English were introduced under the former Chief of General Staff Lubomir Bulik immediately after he took office in 2005. His ambition was to maintain language skills of commanding officers in this way and the ability to use military terminology in the language of the alliance. In addition to the Chief of the General Staff and his deputy, every Friday the briefing includes all other Chiefs of Staffs, including the Center for Operations Management and chief petty officer of the Armed Forces. This briefing deals with the most important current events in the Armed Forces and instructions are issued the period ahead. The briefing focuses on an analysis of events in the Armed Forces for the previous week in Slovakia and other places where Slovak troops are deployed.
SITA