Around 550 members of the 11th mechanized battalion from Martin, Central Slovakia, will be on alert for six months, ready for deployment within the NATO Response Force (NRF), the Czech news agency CTK reported on Wednesday.
This is the first Slovak unit certified according to NATO standards, according to CTK.
"This is the first time we were able, to such an extent and on the level of battalion, to prepare our troops for deployment within international forces," Slovak chief-of-staff Lubomir Bulik said.
The Slovak NRF soldiers can be deployed in either combat or peacekeeping operations. They can also be deployed in disaster relief operations.
"If sent to a crisis spot, the unit will be part of the German brigade," Slovak military representatives said.
The commitment to form the NRF was made at the NATO summit in Prague in 2002.
The 25,000-strong NRF units are able to reach the place of their deployment within five days' notice and stay on the spot anywhere in the world for 30 days without support.
Source:Xinhua
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