The Slovenian Armed Forces are made up of courageous people, dedicated to their homeland and the community
The President of the Republic of Slovenia and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces Nataša Pirc Musar was the keynote speaker at the ceremony to mark the Slovenian Armed Forces Day[L1] , which was this year held under the motto “The heart under the uniform, a heart for the homeland.” In the morning, together with the visitors, President Pirc Musar also observed a tactical and technical presentation of the equipment and units of the Slovenian Armed Forces. She welcomed this year’s celebration of the Slovenian Armed Forces Day, which will contribute to stronger ties, understanding and affection between the military and society.
Ljubljana, 13 May 2023
News
In her speech, the President of the Republic of Slovenia and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces congratulated the members of the Slovenian Armed Forces on their special day, thanking them for their dedicated and professional work, and welcoming this year’s special celebration, which she believes contributes to the openness and accessibility of the Slovenian Armed Forces. “I would particularly like to note the importance of the openness of the military organisation. I think it is very important that stronger ties, understanding and affection between the military and society, between uniformed members of the Slovenian Armed Forces and residents in different environments begin to be built once again,” said President Pirc Musar, inviting the community to reawaken the feelings of pride and security that the Slovenian uniform instilled in us at the time of the creation of the Slovenian state and its armed forces. “Wherever we saw it, it represented inspiration, hope and a sense of happiness because we have finally established our own country,” President Pirc Musar recalled, adding that the members of the Slovenian Armed Forces are still characterised by the same courage and dedication to duty and the community.
“Members of the Slovenian Armed Forces are ready to give to us and their homeland something that is priceless – their lives. For this reason, they deserve and need our constant support, compassion and gratitude. Let’s not forget how demanding the current global security situation is, and what is happening on European soil, just 600 kilometres from the Slovenian border,” President Pirc Musar said in her tribute to the members of the Slovenian Armed Forces, whose excellence has earned them respect and a good reputation in the international environment, of which we can be very proud. “In addition to political wisdom, building of trust, peaceful resolution of conflicts, dialogue and broader cooperation in various social fields in the international community, joint action, exercises, training, international operations, connectivity of partner and allied armies are an important foundation for maintaining stability in the world,” she said.
In her speech, President Pirc Musar highlighted the long way the Slovenian Armed Forces have come in changing and restructuring and assessed that in the light of the multifaceted, complex and hybrid security threats that mark the world it was essential to integrate various social subsystems, the economy, critical infrastructure, science and defence, and that cooperation and integration were the foundation of social development and prosperity and, at the same time, indispensable in a global, interdependent world. President Pirc Musar sees searching for synergies and promoting scientific research and innovation as one of the main challenges for the future, one to which the Slovenian Armed Forces will have to adapt, as they will require young people who will possess the important technological skills.
In the final part of her speech, the President of the Republic of Slovenia and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces Nataša Pirc Musar emphasised that we all bear the responsibility for a long-term consensus and unwavering support for the appropriate conditions for the functioning of the Slovenian Armed Forces. “Let us not forget – in the critical times, we opted for an independent state and an independent army. In our history and tradition one cannot exist without the other,” she said.
