The Evolution of the Military Arts in Slovakia Through History The Slovak Republic in the context of European history has been in existence as an independent, sovereign state only briefly. The history of the Slovak nation, however, goes back further than that, all the way to the early Middle Ages. The population of the territory of what is today Slovakia has since then repeatedly struggled, often up in arms, for either their survival, freedom or statehood. National and military traditions of Slovakia For centuries, Slovakia had been part of multinational states and Slovak soldiers served and fought in the armies of these states, many of them gaining widespread recognition either as commanders or ordinary soldiers, leaving a permanent imprint on European military history.1 The first truly Slovak national military units were formed during the revolutionary years of 1848 - 1849. The Slovak volunteer corps organised by the Slovak National Council as the national revolutionary authority fought until the end of the revolution in the autumn of 1849, when they were dissolved. Their military traditions remain permanently in the minds of the Slovak population and Slovak soldiers proudly harked back to them in all other struggles for national freedom and equality. The idea of restoring a Slovak volunteer army, which would be involved in the struggle for national liberation, independence and equality, was raised for the second time during World War I by Milan Rastislav Štefánik. Later, a combined force was organised upon the emergence of a joint Czecho-Slovak resistance movement in order to jointly gain national freedom for Slovaks and Czechs. Czecho-Slovak troops abroad (later called the Czechoslovak Legions) began to be organised in the years 1914 - 1915 on the territory of Russia and France. The most numerous were the legions in Italy; they were formed just before the end of the war and played a role especially in October - November of 1918. These legions contributed to the victory of the Entente, but mainly helped the domestic and foreign resistance movement of Slovaks and Czechs in creating and gaining international recognition of the Czecho-Slovak state. The Czecho-Slovak state (the Czechoslovak Republic), which was established on the 28 October 1918, built its army mainly from members of the Czechoslovak Legions. The army was prepared for territorial defence and by European standards was very well equipped and trained. 1 14 ) E.g. Field Marshal Andrej Hadik, a descendant of a small Slovak noble family, as commander of a Habsburg hussar regiment took Berlin during the Seven Years’ War in 1757 and permanently left an imprint on military history by this “escapade”. Later on, he held the office of the President of the Court War Council in the Habsburg Monarchy, which can be compared to the current Minister of Defence (War). Similarly, Ladislav Škultéty-Gábriš, the Habsburg soldier of the 18th and 19th century, is considered the longest-serving soldier of all time, as he served 81 years in the army. WHITE PAPER ON DEFENCE