Editing Slovenian Armed Forces (section)

==History==
===20th century===
[[File:URN NBN SI IMG-E18TCZUR.jpg|thumb|left|Slovene soldiers during the [[Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia]], 1919]]
Following the disintegration of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, the Duchy of Styria was divided between the newly established states of German Austria and the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. [[Rudolf Maister]], a Slovene major of the former Austro-Hungarian Army, liberated the town of [[Maribor]] in November 1918 and claimed it for the [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]. After a short fight with [[Germany|German]] Austrian provisional units, the current border was established, which mostly followed the ethnic-linguistic division between [[Slovenes]] and ethnic [[Germans]] in [[Duchy of Styria|Styria]].

The current Slovenian Armed Forces are descended from the [[Slovenian Territorial Defence]] (''Teritorialna Obramba Republike Slovenije''; or ''Slovene TO''), formed in 1990 by fusion of Territorial Defence (formed in 1968 as a paramilitary complement to the regular army of the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] within the territory of [[Slovenia]]) with secret alternative command structure, known as the Manoeuvre Structures of National Protection (Manevrska struktura narodne zaščite, or MSNZ), which was an existing but antiquated institution, (unique to Slovenia), intended to enable the republic to form an ad hoc defence structure, akin to a National Guard. It was of negligible importance prior to 1990, with antiquated weapons and few members.

When Slovenia declared independence at the onset of the [[Yugoslav wars|Yugoslav Wars]] in 1991, the [[Slovenian Territorial Defence]] and the Slovenian police comprised the majority of forces engaging the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] during the [[Ten-Day War]].  The Slovenian Armed Forces were formally established in 1994 as a reorganization of the Slovenia Territorial Defence Force.

===Republic of Slovenia===
[[File:ASIV Slovenia 18 (24556573455).jpg|thumb|A Slovenian soldier with a [[FN F2000]] assault rifle]]

After 1993, the Slovenian Armed Forces had relied on mandatory military service, with conscripts receiving 6–7 months of training. In 2003, the Slovenian [[Politics of Slovenia|Government]] abolished [[conscription]] and as of July 2004, the Slovenian Armed Forces had been almost completely reorganised into a professional army now based on volunteers. Currently there are approximately 7,300 active troops and approximately 1,500 in reserve, reduced from 55,000 personnel during conscription.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

A major reorganization of the Slovenian Armed Forces is currently underway with a goal of making them more effective and to increase the defense budget to the NATO required 2%.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Obrambni izdatki se povečujejo, v letu 2024 se nakazujejo v višini 1,35 odstotka BDP-ja |url=https://www.rtvslo.si/slovenija/obrambni-izdatki-se-povecujejo-v-letu-2024-se-nakazujejo-v-visini-1-35-odstotka-bdp-ja/731434 |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=rtvslo.si |language=sl}}</ref> The goal is set to be accomplished near year 2030. More than half of all commands have been disbanded which has made commanding the subordinated units easier and faster. Soldiers are to be located nearer to their homes in order to minimize travel costs. Since the Slovenian Armed Forces do not have enough modern armored vehicles to maintain three motorized battalions fulfilled at every time, one Wheeled Combat Vehicles Company and one Tank Company have been organized within the Logistics brigade, which now lends vehicles to any of four newly formed infantry regiments, regarding to the regiments' needs. Reorganization also transformed 72nd Brigade from a support unit to a combat unit and thus equaled it with the 1st Brigade. Both brigades were added support elements, such as Air Defense, Artillery, Intelligence, etc. The operational units now consist of a Special Operations Unit, Naval Division, an Aviation Regiment and three [[brigade]]s, the [[1st Brigade (Slovenian Armed Forces)|1st]] (responsible for western Slovenia), [[72nd Brigade (Slovenian Armed Forces)|72nd]] (responsible for eastern Slovenia) and Logistics Brigade.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

===NATO membership (from 2004)===
[[File:Slokfor.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Slovene KFOR unit]]

As part of the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]], Slovenia was never a member of the [[Warsaw Pact]]. Today, the foreign policy priority of [[NATO]] membership drives Slovenia's defense reorganization. Once many countries{{Clarify|reason=Who?|date=January 2024}} lifted the arms embargo on Slovenia in 1996, the country embarked on a military procurement program to bolster its status as a NATO candidate and to aid its transformation into a mobile force. Active in the SFOR deployment in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], Slovenia is also a charter member of [[Partnership for Peace]] and a regular participant in PfP exercises. The United States provides bilateral military assistance to Slovenia, including through the [[International Military Education and Training]] (IMET) program, the [[State Partnership Program]] (aligned with [[Colorado]]), and the [[EUCOM]] Joint Contact Team Program.

Slovenia formally joined NATO in March 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/docu/update/2004/03-march/e0329a.htm|title=NATO Update: Seven new members join NATO – 29 March 2004|publisher=NATO}}</ref> The transition of its armed forces from a primarily conscript-based territorial defense organization to a professional force structure has the ultimate goal of creating NATO-interoperable combat units able to operate on an even par with units from other NATO armies. Implementation of interoperability objectives as determined by the Planning and Review Process (PARP) and the Individual Partnership Program (IPP) as part of Slovenia's PfP participation proceeds. Slovenia's elite units already train with and are integrated into international units including NATO members—for example as part of [[SFOR]] and on [[Cyprus]]. Its elite mountain troops will be assigned to the Multinational Land Force peacekeeping battalion with [[Italy]], [[Hungary]], and [[Croatia]]. Slovenia hosted its first PfP exercise in 1998--"Cooperative Adventure Exchange"—a multinational disaster-preparedness command post exercise involving almost 6,000 troops from 19 NATO and PfP member nations.

As of 2011 Slovenian soldiers were a part of international forces serving in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Kosovo]], [[Afghanistan]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sloveniatimes.com/en/inside.cp2?uid=87F07C9D-5CF0-76BE-6D5D-E619AAA286B2&linkid=news&cid=1BB540C4-EA25-0226-785F-74436DBF408E|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614145255/http://www.sloveniatimes.com/en/inside.cp2?uid=87F07C9D-5CF0-76BE-6D5D-E619AAA286B2&linkid=news&cid=1BB540C4-EA25-0226-785F-74436DBF408E|url-status=dead|title=The Slovenia Times – Daily News|archive-date=14 June 2011}}</ref> [[Iraq]], [[Chad]], and [[Lebanon]].

Slovenia hosts [[Multinational Centre of Excellence for Mountain Warfare]] ('''MN COEMW'''; {{langx|sl|Večnacionalni center odličnosti za gorsko bojevanje}}), one of [[NATO]] [[NATO Centre of Excellence|Centres of Excellence]], located in [[Bohinjska Bela]], [[Slovenia]]. It is "responsible for training individuals and units for operation in the mountains and other terrains difficult to pass".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slovenskavojska.si/en/structure/genneral-staff-commands-and-units/doctrine-development-educational-and-training-command/mountain-school/ |title=Multinational Centre of Excellence for Mountain Warfare |author=Slovenian Armed Forces |publisher=Slovenian Armed Forces |access-date=28 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224002114/http://www.slovenskavojska.si/en/structure/genneral-staff-commands-and-units/doctrine-development-educational-and-training-command/mountain-school/ |archive-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref>