General Vollmer also met the Chief of Defence, General Daniel Zmeko. Amongst other issues, topics touched upon included readiness, interoperability, coordination and coherence as well as process synchronization.
With regard to the NATO engagement, both Generals shared their thoughts on Slovakia’s commitment to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and the Alliance’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia. “I am looking forward to our continued regional cooperation and we will stay vigilant, together we are stronger”, General Vollmer underlined.
General Vollmer's itinerary included a visit to the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in Bratislava, where he took the opportunity to highlight the important role of this element: "You are well prepared and you will allow us to deploy any necessary forces in the right sequence, combat ready, to Slovakia”, the Commander highlighted.
As part of NATO’s adaptation to security challenges from the east and the south, the Alliance has established eight Force Integration Units. These are located in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
This follows a decision taken at NATO’s Wales Summit, in September 2014, as part of the Alliance’s Readiness Action Plan: a comprehensive package of measures designed to respond to the changed security environment on the Alliance’s borders.