Žilina, July 12 (TASR) – Peter Žochňák became the new Commander of the 5th Special Forces Regiment (5.pŠU / 5th SFR) in Žilina. On Tuesday, Brigadier General Branislav Benka, Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (SŠO OS SR / SOF AF SR), handed over the position to him at the inauguration ceremony.

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, General Daniel Zmeko, pointed out that the 5th Special Forces Regiment is part of the SOF, which the Armed Forces have been building for a long time. "The change of the Regiment’s Commander is a natural part of this construction, because it is a generational change. The Commander, after returning from the prestigious military school in France, will take over the leadership so that he can fulfill the visions of the Armed Forces," said General Zmeko.
The commander of the Žilina’s SF Operators wants to streamline and increase the cooperation with partner foreign units of the SOF. "Even though I have served abroad for several years, I have always been a proud member of the 5th Special Forces Regiment. The success of the Regiment and our special operations lies in the professionalism of individuals, experts in each sub-field. We all work in a team that cannot function without mutual respect and trust," said Žochňák.

The commander of the SOF AF SR added that cooperation with the special forces of the Ukrainian armed forces began in 2021. "We communicate very intensively, and I want to thank them very much for their openness and sharing their experiences and information, which we can implement in our training. And thus have our units better prepared to defend the Slovak Republic," explained Brigadier General Benka.

Zmeko emphasized that the AF SR always prepare for the most difficult scenario. "The most difficult scenario for us is the defense of the Slovak Republic. We have never concealed this and we have never set lower goals than being ready to defend Slovakia. And what is happening in Ukraine only seems to increase the urgency of this requirement. But nothing changes the mission and training," concluded the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces.