BRATISLAVA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Slovak military forces have continued with detailed and thorough inventory of all types of ammunition and weapons, Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdos announced Tuesday after the identification of a second location with missing ammunition this year.
"I immediately passed on the information and findings to the law enforcement authorities, but more detailed information can only be provided by these authorities and the courts," stressed Gajdos, adding that many cases of human error have been identified, including defects in carrying out formal inventories and inspections.
"The theft of ammunition might have not happened only recently but could be a long-term problem," he pointed out.
Some 300,000 cartridges disappeared from an ammunition storehouse in Sklene in northern Slovakia at the end of June. An unspecified amount of ammunition from stocks in Trencin-Kubra in western Slovakia was found to be stolen in April.
Slovak President and the head of the Slovak Armed Forces Andrej Kiska said the situation was very serious.
"If ammunition goes missing, some questions arise regarding how those who are supposed to protect the state will protect us when a problem like this emerges in this very sector," said Kiska.
Authorities launched a thorough inspection of all military stocks throughout the country, including missile stocks. Gajdos expected that this process would last until November.
