Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with the Slovakian Defense Minister Martin Glvac this morning at the Pentagon.
Secretary Hagel thanked Minister Glvac for their contributions to NATO and international security, particularly for Slovakia's offer to donate ammunition to support the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq and their continued contribution in Afghanistan to include the deployment of 66 personnel to support the Government of Afghanistan.
They also discussed investments in defense. Minister Glvac assured Secretary Hagel that Slovakia will fulfill the obligations to which they committed at the summit in Wales. Minister Glvac highlighted that Slovakia committed to spending 1.6 percent of GDP on defense by 2020 and by 2016, they plan to allocate 20 percent of the defense budget for modernization.
Secretary Hagel and Minister of Defense Glvac discussed deepening their strategic cooperation regarding Slovakia's military modernization plans. Secretary Hagel endorsed Slovakia's modernization efforts, pledged his support of Slovakia's plan to modernize its helicopter fleet and urged Slovakia to consider U.S. origin helicopters to increase interoperability.
Finally, they discussed support to Ukraine, emphasizing that the U.S. and Slovakia continue to present a united front with NATO to deal with Russia's aggressive behavior in the region. Secretary Hagel particularly welcomed the humanitarian and development aid, military training, and the reverse flow of gas Slovakia is providing to support Ukraine's security.