The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic were divided from the Czechoslovak Army after dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined NATO on 29 March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. Slovak armed forces numbered 20,982 uniformed personnel and 4,500 civilians in 2025.
== Organization == The Armed Forces consist of: General Staff Military Intelligence Ground Forces Slovak Air Force Military police Special Operations Forces National Defense Force
=== Joint Operational Command === Joint Operational Command in Banská Bystrica (Commander: 2 Star General)
Ground Forces
1st Mechanized Brigade 2nd Mechanized Brigade 5th Artillery Regiment 91st Engineer Regiment 22nd Reconnaissance Regiment 71st Command Support Battalion 103rd Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Battalion
Air Force
The Slovak Air Force, officially the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, has been defending Slovak airspace since independence in 1993. The Slovak Air Force currently comprises one wing of fighters, one wing of utility helicopters, one wing of transport aircraft, and one SAM brigade. It operates around 20 combat aircraft, as well as 10 helicopters from 3 air bases: Malacky/Kuchyňa Air Base, Sliač Air Base, Prešov Air Base. The Air Force is currently part of the NATO Integrated Air and Missiles Defense System – NATINADS.
Special Operations Forces
5th Special Forces Regiment 51st Training Base in Žilina 52nd Airborne Battalion in Jamník 57th Regiment in Martin (Psychological Operations and Civil–military co-operation)
=== 82nd Joint Support Brigade === Source:
3rd Command Support Company, in Trenčín 4th Logistic Regiment, in Trenčín 41st Supply Base, in Nemšová 42nd Supply Base, in Martin, Slovakia 43rd Supply Base, in Zemianske Kostoľany 53rd Field Services Battalion, in Hlohovec 405th Maintenance Battalion, in Martin 6th Signal Regiment, in Trenčín 61st Signal Battalion, in Trenčín 62nd Signal Battalion, in Ružomberok 7th Training Regiment, in Martin 71st Training Battalion 72nd Training Support Battalion Topographic Institute, in Banská Bystrica 701st Military Transport Center, in Bratislava Training and Mobilization Replenishment Base, in Martin
=== Military Medical Command === Military Medical Command in Ružomberok
HQ Department of Management and Medical Analysis Department of Planning and Training Department of Logistic Department of Military Healthcare Development Department of Veterinary Support Department of Field Medical Units Field Mobil Medical Unit ROLE 2E Field Mobil Medical Unit ROLE 2B Logistic Battalion of Military Medical Command HQ Material Support Company Technical Support Company
== Personnel == Fundamental changes in the development of the armed forces occurred on 1 January 1998, when Act No. 370/1997 Coll. on Military Service abolished the term professional soldier, replacing it with the new term professional soldier. While this Act was in force, the Slovak Republic joined the NATO military alliance on 29 March 2004. A historically unique phenomenon occurred on 1 January 2006, when basic military service was abolished. On this day, the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic became fully professionalized and began a new stage in their existence. Every soldier is obliged to take the Military Oath..
=== Education === Military education in Slovakia is centered around the Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik (AOS) in Liptovský Mikuláš. It is the country's main institution for training future professional officers of the Slovak Armed Forces. The academy offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in military and technical fields, focusing on leadership, defense strategy, engineering, and cybersecurity. It also provides specialized training for active-duty personnel and supports NATO-aligned education standards.
=== National Defense Force === The National Defense Force Slovak: Národné Obranné Sily in short NOS. They function de facto as a reserve force. NOS membership is open to Slovak citizens aged 18 to 65, including both men and women. Prospective members must be physically and mentally fit, law‑abiding, reliable, and permanent residents of Slovakia with citizenship. NOS organizes three categories of voluntary reserves:
Operational Reserves (Operačné zálohy) Serve both military defense and crisis management roles. Readiness Reserves (Pohotovostné zálohy) Primarily focused on rapid crisis and emergency response. Defense (Training) Reserves (Branné zálohy) For civilians without prior military experience—entails a one-time basic training
Ranks
Equipment
Uniforms
== Missions == As of 2025, Slovakia has 240 military personnel deployed in Cyprus for UNFICYP United Nations led peace support operations, 50 troops deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for EUFOR Althea and 135 troops deployed in Latvia for NATO Enhanced Forward Presence. The country has been an active participant in US- and NATO-led military actions and involved in many United Nations peacekeeping military missions: UNPROFOR in the Yugoslavia (1992–1995), UNOMUR in Uganda and Rwanda (1993–1994), UNAMIR in Rwanda (1993–1996), UNTAES in Croatia (1996–1998), UNOMIL in Liberia (1993–1997), MONUA in Angola (1997–1999), SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999–2003), OSCE mission in Moldova (1998–2002), OSCE mission in Albania (1999), KFOR in Kosovo (1999–2002), UNGCI in Iraq (2000–2003), UNMEE in Ethiopia and Eritrea (2000–2004), UNMISET in East Timor (2001), EUFOR Concordia in Macedonia (2003), UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone (1999–2005), EU supporting action to African Union in Darfur (2006), Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (2002–2005), Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq (2003–2007), UNDOF at the borders of Israel and Syria (1998–2008) . Since the independence of Slovakia in 1993, there have been 60 uniformed personnel deaths in the line of service to the United Nations and NATO (as of 30 April 2018).
Gallery
== See also == Slovak National Uprising Slovak Ministry of Defence NATO Enhanced Forward Presence
References
External links
V armáde SR bude pôsobiť viac vojakov, bude mať aj viac húfnic či BVP Official homepage of the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic Archived 27 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in Slovak)