Slovak and US Armed Forces Will Start Joint Skill Training in Martin

Bratislava, August 19 (TASR) - As of October 1, a group of up to four American soldiers will serve in Martin as part of joint skill training of Slovak and US Armed Forces in the area of civil-military co-operation (CIMIC) and psychological operations (PsyOps), the government confirmed in a statement on Wednesday. "Members of the US Armed Forces will serve 36 months in Slovakia. The rotation of the US army members will happen over 9-month cycles," stated the Slovak Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in the statement. The ministries clarified that the CIMIC activities are based on communication and the co-ordination of joint activities between the Slovak Armed Forces, NATO and civic organisations before, during and after the training, in favour of the commander. PsyOps activities are designed to support the commander in a specific operational environment to combat the pitfalls of the modern information war. The activities are based on the fight against misinformation, discouraging the enemy to fight as well as on creating and maintaining a positive view of the army's strength by means of communication with civilian figures. The service of US army members in Martin constitutes an establishment of bilateral co-operation with the US Armed Forces that occurred in accordance with the 2018 resolution of the Slovak government. mip/mcs