The Territorial Defense of the Republic of Slovenia ( (TO RS)), also known as the Territorial Defense of Slovenia (Slovenian: Teritorialna obramba Slovenije [TOS]), was the predecessor of the Slovenian Armed Forces. It was named after the Yugoslav Territorial Defense.
History
After the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Yugoslav leadership adopted the doctrine of General People's Defence and established the Territorial Defense. After the victory of democratic parties in the 1990 Slovenian parliamentary election, the central government in Belgrade ordered disarmament of TO Slovenia, a decision that was effectively ignored. Many weapons subsequently disappeared from supply depots and were later issued to the initial territorial defence units of the Republic of Slovenia.
Command
TO headquarters were established on November 20, 1968. The early development of this military command was almost exclusively in the hands of Slovenian officers. In 1990, the Territorial Defence Republic Headquarters was violently occupied by the federal army. After this incident, Slovenia designated a new headquarters, who took command of the Slovenian Army. May 1991 marked the opening of the first military training centres in Ig, Ljubljana; and Pekre, Maribor. The first draftees were sworn in on June 2.
Organization
The command language in TO was Slovenian, and this itself was organized in the form of an ancillary impact force to the JNA. After 1990 it was organized as a separate army, which was finally formed in the months before independence, in accordance with the Slovenian Constitution, which had been adopted in 1991.
Equipment
Small arms Zastava M 70AB assault rifle Tokarev TT-33 handgun MG 34 machine gun Fagot anti-tank guided missile SKS carbine Yugoslav version M59/66 Malyutka anti-tank guided missile Strela 2 MANPAD M80 Zolja anti-tank rocket launcher MG42 general-purpose machine gun Yugoslav version M53 M48 bolt-action rifle including sniper version MGV-176 submachine gun M56 submachine gun Yugoslav version of MP40 M60 recoilless gun M72 light machine gun M76 sniper rifle M79 Osa anti-tank rocket launcher M84 machine gun M49 submachine gun Yugoslav PPSh-41 RB M57 SAR 80 assault rifle 3M6 Shmel anti-tank missile
Vehicles M-84 main battle tank M-36 tank destroyer T-54/55 main battle tank T-34/85 medium tank BTR-50 armoured personnel carrier PU version 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer BOV APC BRDM-2 armored car BVP M-80 IFV TAM 5000 military truck Puch G utility vehicle TAM-110 truck
Artillery M75 20mm AAG M-63 Plamen multiple rocket launcher BOV-3 SPAAG ZSU-57-2 M53/59 Praga 9K31 Strela-1 SAM
Aircraft AircraftPhotoOriginTypeVersionsIn service"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.Notes UTVA-75 trainer 14 Left by the JNA SOKO SA 341 Gazelle transport 1 Defected from the JNA Bell 206 JetRanger utility helicopter 3 Bell 412 utility helicopter 1 Let L-410 Turbolet transport 1 Added in 1994 Agusta AW109 fast VIP transport A109A Mk II 1
References
See also Military of Slovenia Slovenian War of Independence