Interview with Major General Alojz Steiner,
Chief of the General Staff, Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF)
CDQ: How has NATO membership impacted your Armed Forces in terms of size, shape and readiness?
AS: When talking about the impact of joining the Alliance, several phases in integration process should be mentioned. The process as such started in 1994 with PfP and PARP (Partnership for Peace; Planning and Review Process) programs and this “traditional” first phase ended in 1999. Indeed, it is true that Slovenia did not receive the invitation in the first round of negotiations in 1997. New preparations to join NATO started with the Membership Action Plan for NATO in 2000 and finished in 2004, when Slovenia joined NATO and the EU. I would like to mention one interesting fact: we prepared four years to join NATO, but significantly less to join the European military structure. After Slovenia became NATO member, we entered a new process, through the Accession and Integration Program, which started in 2004 and ended in February 2010. The overall process of joining NATO thus took 16 years.
NATO membership has had significant impacts. The first one refers to the transition of armed forces, which turned into the process of transformation after joining NATO. Many changes have been applied. The first change is a switch from a threat-oriented to partnership-oriented military and defense organization and strategy. The second one is the transition to professional armed forces, i.e. fully voluntary armed forces. The latter was implemented a year before our joining NATO and brought the abolition of conscription. The next change is related to the increase in the number of active-component and contracted-reserve members. The so-called Military Territorial Commands, which were successful during the 1991 War for Independence to oversee Territorial Defense units, were cancelled. Within the process of affiliation, Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) also joined NATO’s command and force structures. I have to say that Slovenia is, I believe, the first country from the 2004 round of NATO enlargement to affiliate its declared capabilities to NATO’s Force Structure – to NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy, the Battalion Battle Group and the CBRN battalion to Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin, Poland. It is also important to mention the synchronization of defense planning and capability building according to NATO’s approaches and Force Goals. I would also like to underline the increased participation in multinational operations and missions. For example in 2003, we deployed a total of 311 troops, while in 2009, 1041 were deployed, i.e. about 520 deployed troops per day, considering six-month rotations. Activities related to standards and doctrines, and NATO Integrated Air Defense System (NATINADS) and NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP) should also be mentioned. These denote continuing processes which started before our joining NATO and still continue today.
CDQ: You are contributing to international activities in Afghanistan. Can you say something about this?
AS: SAF first deployed troops to operation ISAF two month before Slovenia became a fully fledged NATO member in 2004. Today, the 16th rotation is deployed, which includes 87 military personnel and 3 civilian specialists, in accordance with the comprehensive approach. We work within the Regional Command West in the province of Farah, the AOR of a US-led PRT. Together with the Colorado National Guard SAF troops are also present in Bala Baluk. There are, however, negative and positive aspects of Slovenian presence in Afghanistan. The negative one is a low public support and lack of consensus within the government. In Slovenia, the support for the Afghanistan mission is lower than 10 per cent.
The military aspect, on the other hand, is the positive one. We acquire combat experiences through OMLT and mentorship activities. This aspect is also connected with capability building for specific operations and recognition of the importance of practical experiences regarding the comprehensive approach and work with civilian functional specialists. Slovenia follow the transition in Afghanistan and the reorientation to NMT-A.
CDQ: How are you planning to supplement your equipment needs over the next few years?
AS: Slovenian long-term and medium-term development programs are synchronized with NATO. In the last two years, capability building activities and programs were practically stopped due to the economic crisis and over 70-percent investment cuts. Secondly, our transformation and modernization strategy changed into a survival strategy. Now, there is less talk about how to transform or modernize the armed forces and more about how to survive in this financial crisis. In strategic programs, the intent was to establish intermediately technologically developed armed forces. In this respect, however, SAF have been pushed down to a lower level of development and equipping, which has also been the case in other countries, especially small ones.
CDQ: Are you experiencing pressures on your defense budget and how are you planning to deal with this?
AS: The existing Long-Term Development Program of the Slovenian Armed Forces for 2025 was based on a 1.5% GDP for the defense budget. That is less than 2 %, which is the Washington obligation assumed by Slovenian government in 1999. It is also evident that the 1.5 % GDP became unrealistic. In my opinion, in many European countries, especially small ones, the orientation towards 2 % appears to be an illusion. The previous SAF Medium-Term Defense Program 2007-2012 is based on 710 million EUR for the acquisition, but not even 400 million EUR will be attained. That is the point that I wanted to make by using the term “illusion”. There is no stable capability development plan and building without stable financing. My second point is that, in the past 3 years, the military budget, already adopted by the parliament, has been additionally reduced for a total of 300 million EUR. The ratio of 50:30:20 among the expenses for personnel, O&M and acquisition has collapsed. This year, we will spend 71% for personnel and about 21% for O&M. 1% is devoted to the contribution for the Alliance and between 6 and 7% for procurement.
CDQ: Hence, do you think that public support for defense has declined in Slovenia?
AS: I could not say that the public support for defense in my country has declined, but changes are evident. During the economic crisis in Slovenia, defense, police force and foreign affairs carried the largest burden in this respect. We are currently facing a paradox of a security dividend – the greater general safety the more is taken away from security structures. The limits of this dividend, which happened in all countries after transition, are hard to define. Savings intended for security structures have been redistributed to other structures.
CDQ: Have you been looking at a “whole of government” approach to providing for defense? By that I mean sharing the costs between different Government departments and with commercial and NGO entities.
AS: As far as the positive aspects of the “whole of government” approach are concerned, I would first like to refer to the joint strategy of participation in multinational operations and missions, which we have adopted. It is based on a comprehensive approach and contribution of all governmental agencies to the missions abroad – not only to the military part, but also the civilian one. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of the comprehensive approach in reality, while some of the positive aspects also include expense-oriented approach and more cost-effective organization. In addition, considerable advancement has been achieved in crisis management, mainly due to the lessons learned and the impact of the organization in the EU.
CDQ: Let me give you one example. I know that we have covered most of that. Italian government and the military work with the firefighting service to procure some helicopters. Every summer these helicopters leave the military and go into the mountains or wherever for firefighting. And the government department which pays for that gets them for the summer, while the military get them for the rest of the year. That’s one of the whole-of-government approaches we would like to see if you’re applying in Slovenia.
AS: Thank you for asking. I can say that Slovenia is a special case in this matter. The SAF deploy more capabilities to our civil disaster relief and emergency activities than for example for operational military needs. This year, we have participated in firefighting campaigns, but, luckily, there have not been many. SAF helicopters have been more engaged during major road accidents and in civilian search-and-rescue missions in the mountains. From January to the end of September, military helicopters flew more than 30% of total flying hours for the aforementioned purposes, and we rescued 191 persons.
CDQ: I understand you are building closer relationships with neighboring countries. How are these developing? I understand that you are in a complicated neighborhood.
AS: We recognize the importance of regional stability and a still complicated situation in the Western Balkans. Slovenia is the first country to enter NATO. In addition, Slovenia devotes significant efforts to the spreading of the Euro-Atlantic idea to other Western Balkan countries and supporting efforts of the international community. Two aspects of regional cooperation have been developed: firstly, cooperation with NATO and EU countries (Italy Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia), and secondly, important cooperation with countries not yet in NATO or the EU, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. The Republic of Macedonia is a special case, though. Slovenia and Macedonia entered the NATO Membership Action Plan for NATO (MAP) together in 1999. We have been in NATO for seven years, while Macedonia has been in the MAP throughout the 12 years. This is not good for the understanding of the Euro-Atlantic idea neither for regional stability. It is not good for Montenegro, which is doing very well in this transitional period, nor is it good for the understanding of regional stability and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in Serbia. Slovenia has developed strong bilateral and multilateral cooperation programs with all of these countries. We act as a sponsor country to Montenegro, where we lead a contact-point embassy. Here are also ideas and activities of pooling & sharing, which are implemented through NATO channels. One of the growing forms of cooperation with the neighboring countries is the Multinational Land Force (MLF) initiative of Italy, Hungary and Slovenia. In 1997, before Slovenia became NATO member, these three countries established an MLF brigade. The next form of cooperation concerns Air Policing, which has seen some progress; then we have activities within the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) and Southeastern European Clearinghouse including Border Security and Counter Terrorism matters. To conclude, regional cooperation is already strong and Slovenia tries to spread the idea of security importance in the Western Balkans. We used to say that the Balkan was like an ill stomach of Europe. If you have an ill stomach, you cannot function properly.
CDQ: In which defense fora in Europe do you actively participate?
AS:: First, I would like to mention EU operations Althea and Atalanta. Althea is conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Atalanta in Somalia is related to counter-piracy. The next form of participation is developmental assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, which is, however, not provided through military structures, but through civilian development help. Here is also the European Battle Group, a Rapid Reaction Force initiative, similar to NRF in NATO. SAF participate in the EU Battle Group with the aforementioned MLF Brigade. Another example of EU participation is the EU Crisis Management Mechanism and Civil Emergency Management, which is not directly related to the military.
CDQ: You have a close defense relationship with the State of Colorado. How is this evolving?
AS: SAF have had a close relationship with the Colorado National Guard since 1994. Colorado was the first country which we cooperated with. In the past 17 years, this approach has changed, due to our NATO membership. However, our cooperation is still active and open. This year, we will have 20 common events. Currently, SAF cooperate with the Colorado National Guard in Bala Baluk, Afghanistan. However, this is not the only good cooperation we have with the US military and other US defense structures. Slovenia and USA traditionally cooperate well and strongly. I will mention only a few cooperation programs: IMET – International Military Education and Training program; Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Financing. There are also Defense Cooperation in Armament, Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program and Counter Narcoterrorism Program, and some new forms of cooperation, such as Reciprocal Defense Procurement.
CDQ: Do you have a system of National Service?
AS: Slovenia has fully voluntary armed forces with two types of personnel, i.e. full-time soldiers and voluntary reserve-component members, who are paid for their service. In line with Article 123 of our Constitution we also conduct voluntary military service. Young men and women who would like to receive military experience can therefore join military training for three months and complete some type of military service. Slovenia is establishing a concept of military strategic reserve, which is related to resources, not only human, but also material, logistic and infrastructural ones for the event of a bad-case scenario. When Slovenia established the SAF, we had a war-time structure of 76,000 troops. Today the military structure includes 7,600 professionals and additional 1,800 reservists, so eight times less than 20 years ago.
I have to mention the participation of Slovenian citizens in Civil Emergency Management activities, which are quite strong. Slovenia has 133,000 volunteers in the firefighting service. In my opinion, the promotion of patriotism and strengthening of voluntarism play a key role in the future of national service.
The above-mentioned facts are an important basis for social capital, which is related to solidarity and voluntarity, the will to help people and neighborhoods, and the provision of support to them.
CDQ: Talking about human capital, is it difficult to recruit, train and retain members of the armed services?
AS: Not in the situation we are in now. The rate of unemployment in Slovenia is close to 10% and recruitment is not a problem. However, as early as 3 years ago, the situation was quite the opposite.
CDQ: How do you maintain the quality?
AS: The choice today is quite large and it is easy to make a quality selection. For example, in the Officer Candidate School, there were 25 free posts, but 98 candidates. Therefore, only one in four candidates could be admitted.
CDQ: The trick will be in how to retain those people during the good times that will undoubtedly come in the future.
AS: Correct. One way to retain them is by applying good salary policy. The second tool is the benefits and the third one the provision of a proper and modern career path, not only for officers and NCOs, but also for voluntary soldiers. If they can receive additional knowledge and qualifications that will enable them to prove competitive in the civilian sector after leaving the military, this will encourage them to stay. We are still developing in this respect
CDQ: Do you have insights or efficiencies that you would like to share with friends and allies.
AS: There are two that I would specifically like to mention. The first one is related to the understanding of difficulties in the Balkans (in terms of politics and security). Throughout the history, security in the Balkans has been a very important issue. There can thus be no success in Europe or anywhere else in the world without understanding the importance of security in the Balkans. Not because we belong to a broader Balkan area, but because this is a fact. Another thing is that there will not be any true success unless economical means in the Western Balkans are prioritized.
The second point I would like to make is that transformation and the process of changes in the armed forces are not for the poor. One cannot have transformation or soft-changing of military structures without money. If the military do not have the money to implement changes in a smart, not a revolutionary way, they will not succeed. Revolution is, however, the only solution for poor peoples and societies.
Major General Alojz Šteiner, MSc, has held the post of the Chief of the General Staff, Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) since May 2009.
Some of his most significant past duties include Commander, 7th Regional Territorial Defence HQ in Maribor; Deputy Commander, 3rd SAF Operational Command; Deputy Force Commander of the SAF; and posts within the SAF General Staff (J-3, J-4 and J-5). He was advisor to three Chiefs of the SAF General Staff; Director of Staff; and Deputy Chief of the SAF General Staff.
Major General Šteiner received his master’s degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana and at the Industrial College of Armed Forces at the National Defence University, USA. In 2008 and 2009, he was Editor-in-Chief of the major SAF scientific military publication “Contemporary Military Challenges”. He has authored several articles on the transformation of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
|
