IN FOCUS

Defence/Military Issues

• Slovenia has reviewed its existing legislation covering the participation of Slovenia in collective defence. It will continue to ensure that there are no legal impediments that could inhibit the deployment of Slovenian Forces abroad and the deployment of Allied Forces into Slovenia in case of need.

• The Government decides on compulsory service abroad by Slovenian active duty and voluntary reserve personnel, and on the reception in, or transit through the Slovenian territory by Allied Forces. Currently, compulsory reserves could only be deployed abroad by the decision of the Parliament.

• The compulsory reserves will be abolished by 2010. In the interim period they will not be assigned to duty in deployable units for NATO operations.

• The Parliament has revised the defence legislation and thereby created the legal basis for the future participation in the collective defence and the SAF as a fully professional force with a voluntary reserve to be fully introduced by 2010. Conscription will no longer be in force by 2004. The General Long Term Development Plan for the SAF up to 2007 foresees a new force structure based on a streamlined command structure, reduced wartime strength, deployable reaction forces and an increased professional force. The decision to move to a fully professional force by 2010 has resulted in an overall defence review and a revision of the Slovenian defence strategy and plan of the defence reform.

• Slovenia will ensure that its revised Defence Strategy and the revised General Long Term Development Plan for the Slovenian Armed Forces up to 2015, resulting from the Strategic Defence Review 2002-2003, are approved by the end of 2003.

• These documents will take into account the preliminary NATO requirements as set out in draft force proposals, with the aim to: develop more mobile, flexible and sustainable combat and support forces suitable for the full range of Alliance missions; rationalise peacetime Headquarters and reorganise the Slovenian General Staff and the MoD with the aim of integration and rationalisation; and reduce the wartime structure to 14,000 personnel by 2010, of which at least 8,000 will be regular active duty personnel.

• By the time of accession, Slovenia will have completed the introduction of a national defence planning process, which is responsive to NATO defence planning.

• Slovenia will continue to commit a motorised infantry company on rotational basis for a full range of Allied missions, accepting that some support would be required in the areas of Ground Based Air Defence and CIS.

• By the end of 2004, and if identified as required in the NATO force planning process, this will be increased to one fully professional battalion for a full range of Alliance missions for a limited period of up to 6 months with some limitations in the air defence and support. By the end of 2008, this will be increased to a fully deployable and sustainable Battalion-level Task Force for a limited period of time of up to 12 months and by the end of 2012 to a fully deployable and sustainable Battalion-level Task Force on rotational basis.

• In agreement with the Alliance and in the framework of the NATO defence planning process, Slovenia will also develop other specialised capabilities, i.e. military police, combat engineering, communication and system support and medical support.

• Slovenia has already established the initial operational capability of the Air Sovereignty Operations Centre (ASOC), which is connected to the national CIS.

• By the time of accession, Slovenia will be ready to implement the necessary measures to ensure connectivity of its national airspace control and air surveillance capabilities to NATINEADS in accordance with associated NATO programmes, including establishment of the necessary interface and data/voice communications links between its ASOC and NATINEADS.

• This will include creation of the Recognised Air Picture (RAP) from two 3D military long-range radars AN/TPS-70 and one en-route 2D civilian long- range radar in LINK-1 format and UHF radio communication system, familiarisation of key personnel with NATINEADS related issues in the field of philosophy, doctrine, concepts, standards and requirements, the integration of the Slovenian ASOC with NATINEADS and establishment of data links, and the development of any necessary legislation on the civil and military division of air space in accordance with NATO policy.

• Slovenia will ensure that, by the end of 2005, it will have completed its capability to perform automated weapons control in its ground based air defence systems down to the unit level.

• By the time of accession, Slovenia will have ensured that existing voice and data networks are updated with necessary gateways based on technical request from NATO, to ensure adequate secure communications, both voice and data, for high level consultations between NATO headquarters and national authorities.

• By the time of accession, Slovenia will have established HNS arrangements, in accordance with Partnership Goal G4150, including adequate MoD/SAF/civil emergency planning interfaces and the development of the database with points of contact, and in conjunction with the NATO Military Authorities, the identification of railheads, airports and seaports of debarkation to enable the reception and onward movement of Allied reinforcing forces.

• Slovenia has already adopted training policy in line with NATO common doctrines and training procedures and will, by the time of accession, ensure that the military education and training have been adapted to reflect NATO strategy, doctrines, procedures and standards. All units manned by active duty personnel are already trained in accordance with these principles.

• According to the 5-year training cycle which started in 2003, SAF units which are manned by active duty personnel and voluntary reservists will be trained in accordance with the common NATO doctrine and procedures by the end of 2005 and all units, manned by obligatory reserve, by the end of 2007.

• By the time of accession, Slovenia will ensure that sufficient number of personnel (80) have been selected, trained, and have met NATO language proficiency levels and are available to fill positions in NATO Military Headquarters and liaisons officers to NATO Headquarters.

• Slovenia places a special emphasis on the language training. For this purpose Slovenia established a PfP Language Training Centre in 1999. Given the high level of the required national language proficiency standard in the regular school system and in the SAF language training, Slovenia will be able, by the time of accession, to ensure that all personnel designated for positions in which they have to deal with NATO issues on regular basis and in command and staff positions in deployable units (500 personnel) meet adequate NATO standard language proficiency levels.

• It will also ensure an appropriate number of liaison personnel in Slovenia and at designated NATO Headquarters to ensure an efficient conduit for documentation and communication transfer between the Alliance and Slovenia.

• Slovenia has already introduced an effective system of defence planning, based on Allied system and process of defence planning. This will continue to be refined during 2003 and by the time of accession it will be fully responsive to, and in line with, NATO defence planning process. The system includes a corporate planning process, an upgraded resource management model, an annual performance review process, and a rolling two-year budgetary process.

• Slovenia will remain committed to ensuring that this defence planning system remains effective and responsive to NATO defence planning process.

• Slovenia will remain committed to maintaining a level of defence expenditure that is sufficient to support the defence reform, restructuring and modernisation called for in the Strategic Defence Review 2002-2003 and NATO Force Goals, and to permit an adequate level of capital investment to meet the planned equipment and infrastructure modernisation to enhance interoperability, deployability, combat effectiveness, sustainability and survivability in order to meet NATO requirements.

• This has a wide political support, including support of the Parliament for adequate defence expenditure to meet the needs of the amended General Long Term Development Plan until 2015.

• Slovenia will remain committed to establishing and maintaining personnel structures comparable to the best practice in Allied countries, and that where necessary, surplus manpower issues are resolved through retirement, re-training and employment in the other sectors of the public administration.

• The SAF will reduce the General Staff from 270 to 120 personnel by the end 2003 and the officer corps from 1,500 to 1,200 officers by the end of 2010. By the end of 2003, the Government will submit to the parliamentary procedure a proposal of legal basis for resolving the personnel imbalances in the SAF by the end of 2004. Without such legislation, the personnel imbalances can be resolved after 2010.

• Civilian personnel of the MoD will be reduced from 2,075 to 1,550 by the end of 2008, by measures based on the existing legislation: retirement, re- training and employment in the other sectors of the public administration.

• Slovenia will remain committed to maintaining and improving a transparent personnel management system in the armed forces, with career patterns that are comparable to Allied countries.

• Based on the recently adopted defence legislation, Slovenia will, as a priority, review and improve the evaluation and personnel development system, adapt personnel training and use the career patterns management to recruit, develop and retain a required profile of military personnel in the SAF.