After years of various proposed solutions to the Slovak Armed Forces’ 4×4 Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle Programme, the most advantageous project – the procurement of one hundred sixty (160) Oshkosh 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) for nearly $190m in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) – is now on the table as a pathway to modernisation. With this Foreign Military Sale (FMS), the Slovak Armed Forces will gain a new capability without having to pay for it at all. This represents the most advantageous of all procurement procedures. Therefore, the SVK Government has approved it today.
Defence Minister Martin Sklenár made clear that the U.S. Government’s FMS proposal fully meets the requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces, saying: “These 4×4 vehicles are a platform with exceptional mobility and ballistic protection for lighter combat and support units. No vehicles currently in service with the Slovak Armed Forces provide such a combination of features. So, the new JLTVs will enable our forces to take on a new range of tasks. The importance of this capability for modern warfare is being demonstrated daily on the Ukrainian battlefield.”
In addition to two Heavy Gun Carrier variants of the Oshkosh JLTV – one equipped with the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) and the other with the Manned Top Gunner Turret, the U.S. offer includes the logistic package in the form of various spare parts, special tools, and technical manuals as well as the principal contractor’s programme support covering training, technical integration of systems onto the platform, and field services. Deliveries of the Oshkosh 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) to the Slovak Armed Forces are due to take place throughout 2025.
Importantly, Oshkosh has announced its intent to collaborate on the operation of the vehicles with Slovak firms to speed up the deliveries of spares and to undertake repairs to the vehicles throughout their entire life cycle. The United States has made $200 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) available to the Slovak Armed Forces. While most of the FMF package for Slovakia will be spent on the Oshkosh 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), the remaining funds will go towards purchasing assault rifles and anti-drone systems.
