NATO Forum: Slovak Defense Leaders at the Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council hosted Slovak Minister of Defense Jaroslav Baška and General Ľubomír Bulík, Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, for a NATO Forum strategy session.

Minister Baška delivered a comprehensive address capturing the impact of historical legacies and recent events on Slovakia’s involvement with NATO.  Atlantic Council Vice President and International Security Program Director Damon Wilson led a wide-ranging discussion of Slovak contributions to ISAF and visions for the 2010 Strategic Concept. Participants, including the Slovak Ambassador, H.E. Peter Burian, and members of the Strategic Advisors Group offered a variety of perspectives on transformational military capabilities, the nexus of military resources and political capital, and the meaning of the Alliance in Central and Eastern Europe.

The NATO Forum serves as the Euro-Atlantic community’s premier venue for discussion, debate and analysis on issues relating to NATO and its future. The Forum features major public speeches from senior statesmen, roundtable strategy sessions with decision-makers and leading analysis from experts and practitioners from across the Atlantic on matters relating to the Alliance.

More on Minister Baska:

Jaroslav Baška has served as Minister of Defense since January 2008, and served as a member of the Slovak National Council since 2002; he is a member of Prime Minister Fico’s SMER-Social Democracy party.  As Minister, Baška is managing the modernization of Slovak forces during difficult economic times, overseeing a doubling of Slovakia’s troops in Afghanistan from 250 to between 400-500, and is currently reviewing whether to lift caveats on Slovakia’s troops in NATO operations.  Slovakia’s forces are serving in Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces.

The NATO Forum is generously supported by BAE Systems.