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Fedor: Defence Ministry Improvising, No Conceptual Planning
Friday 19 February 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The most significant feature of the Defence Ministry's activities recently has been improvisation and a lack of conceptual planning, former defence minister Martin Fedor (SDKU-DS) told TASR in reaction to Prime Minister Robert Fico's inspection at the Defence Ministry on Friday.
Fedor pointed out that the Government has allocated the lowest-ever share of GDP to defence, meaning that a period that should have been devoted to a massive modernisation drive in the armed forces has been wasted.
"Investments in new armaments have been minimal. What's even more important is that recruitment and replacement in the army have been stagnating," said the opposition MP.
"Things are being bought based on ad hoc decisions. While the former period (when SDKU was in charge of the ministry) was devoted to the professionalisation of the army, this period (after Fico's Government took over in the summer of 2006) should have been focused on modernising equipment," he said.
One positive element is that Slovakia has maintained and strengthened its presence within the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, added Fedor.
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