Slovakia Increases F-16 Fighter Order and Emphasizes Sovereignty

During an official visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Bratislava, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced a radical strengthening of air forces. Slovakia intends to purchase four additional F-16s, increasing the total fleet of these modern aircraft to 18 units. A 2018 contract for 14 jets is currently being fulfilled, with 10 already delivered to the country, though they are not yet fully operationally ready. After the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, Slovakia transferred its post-Soviet MiG-29s to Kyiv, forcing Bratislava to temporarily rely on fighter jets from neighboring countries under Air Policing missions.Prime Minister Fico sharply addressed the current security situation, calling the dependence on protection from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary "shameful" for a sovereign state. He declared that regaining full control over its own airspace is a government priority. „The fact that our airspace is currently protected by Polish, Czech, and Hungarian fighters does not speak well of our sovereignty.” — Robert Fico In addition to military matters, the talks concerned strategic energy security. target number of F-16s in Slovak colorsThe government in Bratislava expressed deep interest in cooperating with the American company Westinghouse to build a new nuclear power plant. This partnership is intended to be key to achieving independence from Russian raw material supplies. Energy sovereignty and military modernization are becoming foundations of the new foreign policy of Fico's cabinet, which, despite earlier skeptical rhetoric towards the West, is strengthening technological and defense ties with Washington. Slovak Fighter Fleet: : → ; : →