One of the plans outlined earlier by the newly instated PM Robert Fico will see the two independent military intelligence units VSS and VOS merged into a single organisation probably from the beginning of 2013.
The newly appointed defence minister Martin Glvac reaffirmed the strategy yesterday, underlining that they would like to have the merger completed as soon as possible due to the terrible state of the military intelligence services. The government plans to save money with the move and also put the public’s faith back into the institution of military intelligence.
This faith was lost after VOS was at the centre of a wiretapping scandal in November 2011 when transcripts of conversations between politicians and journalists were leaked, and the affair ended with then defence minister Lubomir Galko being recalled from his post. It also revealed how the military intelligence units were getting court approvals to listen in on various journalists and politicians without any real grounds, and on former PM Iveta Radicova, for instance.