Armed forces struggling as budget woes continue
Logatec, 17 December - Despite a consensus view that Slovenia must take action to reform the Slovenian Armed Forces, the country's army remains severely affected by budget cuts put in place during the economic crisis.
Maribor
Slovenian soldiers.
Photo: Andreja Seršen Dobaj/STA
File photo
At a time of growing global security threats, defence spending was increased to 1% of GDP 2018, but this is still a far cry from NATO's 2% target, an issue NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed to as he visited in October.
To address the lack of staff, low pay and low morale, and to improve the army's combat readiness, which has been deemed insufficient for crisis or war-time action since 2012, the new Defence Minister Karl Erjavec announced more funds, new equipment and better pay.
He has said Slovenia should start increasing defence spending to reach 1.5% of GDP by 2024, not because of NATO, but to be able to respond to threats to its national security. He hopes that with all the planned changes, the army will score positively in combat readiness already in 2020.
Earlier this year, the army's woeful state made headlines as a battalion battle unit failed a major NATO combat readiness test, casting doubt as to whether Slovenia can meets its commitments. The unit passed the test in its second attempt.
In another indication of the state of the army, two chiefs of the general staff were replaced in less than a year. The latest appointment to the top job in the army is Alenka Ermec, who was promoted to the rank of general as the first Slovenian woman and became the first female chief of staff in a NATO country.