Army of the Czech Republic

This article is about the armed forces of the Czech Republic. For the land-based military branch, see Czech Land Forces.

Army of the Czech Republic
Armáda České republiky
The coat of arms and roundel
Current form	1 January 1993
Service branches	Czech Land Forces Czech Air Force
Headquarters	Prague, Czech Republic
Leadership
President of the Republic	Miloš Zeman
Minister of Defence	Karla Šlechtová
Chief of the General Staff	General Josef Bečvář
Manpower
Military age	18 years of age
Conscription	Abolished in 2004
Available for military service	2,414,728, age 15–49 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	1,996,631, age 15–49 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	66,583 (2005 est.)
Active personnel	23,184 soldiers and 7,663 civilians
Reserve personnel	2000
Expenditures
Budget	CZK 52.5 billion / €2.00 billion (2017)
Percent of GDP	1.08% (2017)
Industry
Domestic suppliers	ČZUB Tatra
Foreign suppliers	See list Austria Sweden Germany Italy United Kingdom United States Israel Spain Russia Poland

The Army of the Czech Republic (Czech: Armáda České republiky, AČR) comprise the Czech Land Forces, the Czech Air Force and support units. From the late 1940s to 1989, the extensive Czechoslovak People's Army (about 200,000) formed one of the pillars of the Warsaw Pact military alliance. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic is completing a major reorganisation and reduction of the armed forces, which intensified after the Czech Republic joined NATO on 12 March 1999.

As defined by the Czech Law No. 219/1999 Coll., the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (Czech: Ozbrojené síly České republiky) are the military forces of the Czech Republic. They consist of the Army of the Czech Republic, the Military Office of President of the Republic and the Castle Guard.

History

Main articles: Czechoslovak Army and Czechoslovak People's Army

The Czechoslovak Armed Forces were originally formed on 30 June 1918 when 6.000 members of the Czechoslovak legion, which had been established in 1914, took oath and received a battle banner in Darney, France, thus preceding the official declaration of Czechoslovak independence by four months. The military achievements of the Czechoslovak legions on the French, Italian and especially Russian front became one of the main arguments that the Czechoslovak pro-independence leaders could use to gain the support for the country's independence by the Allies of World War I.

Following the downfall of Czechoslovakia and occupation of its Czech part by Nazi Germany in 1939, the areas that were heavily populated by ethnic German speaking people were incorporated into the 3rd Reich as Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; therefore military aged men living there were subject to being drafted into the Wehrmacht. The Protectorate's government also possessed its own armed force, the Government Army. On the other side of the conflict, a number of Czechoslovak units and formations served with the Polish Army (Czechoslovak Legion), the French Army, the Royal Air Force, the British Army (the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade), and the Red Army (I Corps). Four Czech and Slovak-manned RAF squadrons were transferred to Czechoslovak control in late 1945.

Croatian Army soldier discusses patrol routes with a Czech Army soldier (left)

From 1954 until 1990, the Army was known as the Czechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA). Although the ČSLA, as formed in 1945, included both Soviet- and British-equipped/trained expatriate troops, the "Western" soldiers had been purged from the ČSLA after 1948 when the communists took power. The ČSLA offered no resistance to the invasion mounted by the Soviets in 1968 in reaction to the "Prague Spring", and was extensively reorganized by the Soviets following the re-imposition of communist rule in Prague.

"Of the approximately 201,000 personnel on active duty in the ČSLA in 1987, about 145,000, or about 72 percent, served in the ground forces (commonly referred to as the army. About 100,000 of these were conscripts." There were two military districts, Western and Eastern. A 1989 listing of forces shows two Czechoslovak armies in the west, the 1st at Příbram with one tank division and three motor rifle divisions, the 4th at Písek with two tank divisions and two motor rifle divisions. In the Eastern Military District, there were two tank divisions, the 13th and 14th, with a supervisory headquarters at Trenčín in the Slovak part of the country.

During the Cold War, the ČSLA was equipped primarily with Soviet arms, although certain arms like the OT-64 SKOT armored personnel carrier, the L-29 Delfín and L-39 Albatros aircraft, the P-27 Pancéřovka antitank rocket launcher, the vz. 58 assault rifle or the Uk vz. 59 machine gun were of Czechoslovak design.

After 1992 (dissolution of Czechoslovakia)

Czech BVP-2 firing in Afghanistan

Czech Army Soldiers to participate in exercise Combined Resolve at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany

The Army of the Czech Republic was formed after the Czechoslovak Armed Forces split after the 1 January 1993 dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Czech forces stood at 90,000 in 1993. They were reduced to around 65,000 in 11 combat brigades and the Air Force in 1997, to 63,601 in 1999, and to 35,000 in 2005. At the same time, the forces were modernized and reoriented towards a defensive posture. In 2004, the army transformed itself into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The Army maintains an active reserve.

The Czech Republic is a member of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. At the 1999 Washington summit, the Czech Republic joined NATO. Since 1990, the ACR and the Czech Armed Forces have contributed to numerous peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, including IFOR, SFOR, and EUFOR Althea in Bosnia, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, Pakistan and with the Coalition forces in Iraq.

In February 2010, Czech media started to speculate about possible corruption around the purchase of Pandur II vehicles for the Czech Army.

Current deployments (as of 2017):

• Kosovo: NATO Operation "Joint Enterprise" (KFOR) - 9 soldiers
• Afghanistan: NATO Operation (Resolute Support Mission) - 271 soldiers
• Mali: EU military training mission (EUTM Mali) - 41 soldiers
• Mali: UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) - 1 soldier
• Somalia: EU Operation Atalanta (NAVFOR) - 3 soldiers
• Sinai: International peacekeeping force (MFO) - 18 soldiers
• Iraq: Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (OIR) - 30 soldiers (air advisory team)
• Mediterranean Sea: EU military operation (EU Navfor Med) - 3 soldiers
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Military deployment to oversee the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement (European Union Force Althea) - 2 soldiers
• Golan Heights: UN peacekeeping mission (UNDOF) - 3 soldiers
• DR Congo: UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) - 3 military observers
• Afghanistan: UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMA) - 1 military observer
• Kosovo: UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIK) - 2 military observers
• Central African Republic: UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) - 3 military observers

Structure

Structure of the Czech Armed Forces. Click to expand.

4th Mech Bde (Žatec)

7th Mech Bde (Hranice)

13th Art Rgt (Jince)

25th ADA Rgt (Strakonice)

53rd Recon Rgt (Opava)

Czech Army - combat brigade/regiment locations

Structure of the Czech Armed Forces consists of two parts:

• General Staff of Czech Armed Forces (Praha)
  • Czech Land Forces (Praha)
  • Czech Air Force (Praha)

The 153rd Engineer Battalion based in Olomouc was created on 15 October 2008 and is subordinated to the 15th Engineer Regiment. The unit is stationed in the outskirts of the city of Olomouc, in place of the canceled 156th Rescue Battalion.

Active reserves

Active Reserve (in Czech Aktivní záloha) is a part of the otherwise professional Army of the Czech Republic. This service was created to allow the participation of citizens with a positive attitude to the military.

A volunteer needs either to have completed the compulsory military service (which ended in 2004) or to attend 8 week training. Then the reservists have to serve up to three weeks a year and can be called up to serve two weeks during a non-military crisis. They are not intended to serve abroad. The Reserve presents itself on events like BAHNA, a military show.

Equipment

Main article: Military equipment of the Czech Republic

The Army of the Czech Republic is, to a large extent, using inventory dating back to the times of the Warsaw Pact. During the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was a major supplier of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, military trucks and trainer aircraft – the bulk of military exports went to its Comecon partners. Replacement of the obsolescent equipment, or making it at least compliant with the NATO standards, is urgently required. Modernization plans include acquisition of new multi-role helicopters, transport aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles or air defence radars and missiles. If possible, the Czech Ministry of Defence selects products that are manufactured or co-produced in the Czech Republic. This includes firearms of the Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod, namely the CZ 75 pistols, CZ Scorpion Evo 3 submachine guns, CZ 805 BREN and BREN 2 assault rifles. Moreover, the Czech Army is equipped with about 3000 T810 and T815 vehicles of various modifications produced by the Czech Tatra Trucks company. Tatra Defence Vehicle factory ensures licensed production of Pandur II and Titus armoured vehicles. Aircraft such as the Aero L-39 Albatros, Aero L-159 Alca and Let L-410 Turbolet have been produced domestically as well.

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  Soldiers with CZ-805 BREN assault rifles

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  Czech modernized
  T-72M4 CZ

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  Czech BVP-2 at 2008 Prague military parade

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  Czech Pandur II 8x8 wheeled IFV

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  Tatra 810 medium truck

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  ShKH-77 Dana: 152mm Self-propelled cannon howitzer

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  Czech Air Force modernized Mi-24V helicopter gunship

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  Czech Air Force W-3A

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  Czech Air Force JAS 39 Gripen

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  Czech Air Force L-159 light combat aircraft

Uniforms

Different types of Czech Army uniforms:

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  Commando soldier from ÚSO VP SOG in desert camouflage uniform in Afghanistan

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  Standard woodland pattern camouflage uniform

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  Members of the Active Reserve during exercise

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  Czech military band in Olomouc

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  Czech military band in Olomouc

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  Soldier of Prague Castle guard holding ceremonial Vz. 52 rifle

Commanding officers

• Chief of the General Staff: Army General Josef Bečvář
• First Deputy Chief of the General Staff: Major General Miroslav Žižka
• Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the AČR-Chief of Staff: Major General Bohuslav Dvořák
• Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Director of Joint Operation Centre: Major General Aleš Opata
• Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Inspector of the AČR: Major General František Malenínský
  • Immediately Subordinated Offices:
  • Military Regional Office, Boletice
  • Military Regional Office, Brdy
  • Military Regional Office, Březina
  • Military Regional Office, Hradiště
  • Military Regional Office, Libavá
• Support Policy Division: Director Major General Pavel Jevula
  • Immediately Subordinated Institutions:
  • Central Military Hospital, Prague
  • Military Hospital, Brno
  • Military Hospital, Olomouc
  • Institute of Aviation Medicine, Prague
• Communication and Information Systems Division:Director - Chief of the Signal Corps of AČR: Colonel Jan Kaše
  • Immediately Subordinated Institutions:
  • 6th Communication Centre
  • Research and Communication Centre 080
  • Information Technology Development Agency
• Force Planning Division: Acting Director Colonel František Mičánek
• Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare Department: Director Colonel Miroslav Žižka
  • Immediately Subordinated Office:
  • Military Geography and Hydrometeorology Office
• Military Aviation Authority: Director Colonel Josef Otta

Current and historic military ranks

These are the military ranks, historic and present-day, of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic and its predecessor force, the Czechoslovak Armed Forces, later known as the People's Army.

Enlisted and non-commissioned officers

• Vojín - Private, Airman
• Svobodník - Private First Class, Airman first class
• Desátník - Corporal, Senior Airman
• Četař - Sergeant
• Četař jednoroční dobrovolník - Volunteer Sergeant (used 1919-1920)
• Rotný - Staff Sergeant (formerly Sikovatel from 1919-20)
• Štábní šikovatel - Company Sergeant Major (used 1918-1920)
• Staršina - Platoon Sergeant, Flight sergeant (part of the rank system 1948-1959)
• Rotmistr - Sergeant First Class, Technical Sergeant
• Nadrotmistr - Master Sergeant
• Štábní rotmistr - First Sergeant (abolished 2011)

Warrant officers

• Důstojnický zástupce - Cadet Warrant officer (used 1919-1920)
• Podpraporčík - First Warrant Officer (abolished 2011)
• Praporčík - Warrant officer
• Nadpraporčík - Senior Warrant Officer
• Štábní praporčík - Chief Warrant Officer (abolished 1949, reinstated 1999)

Officer cadets and military school cadets

• Kadet Aspirant - Officer cadet (used 1919-1920)
• Gážista mimo hodnostní třídu - Reserve Officer Candidate (used 1919-1920)

Officers

• Podporučík OF-1c - Sub-lieutenant (abolished 2011)
• Poručík OF-1b - Second lieutenant, Lieutenant
• Nadporučík OF-1a - First lieutenant
• Kapitán - Captain (formerly Setník in the Home Army)
• Štábní kapitán - Senior Captain (abolished 1952)
• Major
• Podplukovník - Lieutenant colonel
• Plukovník - Colonel
• Brigádní generál - Brigade General (Jun 12th, 1953 to generálmajor, 1999 reinstated to Brigádní generál)
• Divizní generál - Divisional General (Jun 12th, 1953 to generálporučík)
• Generálmajor - Major General (exists Jun 12th, 1953 to present)
• Generálporučík - Lieutenant General (exists Jun 12th, 1953 to present)
• Polní podmaršálek - Lieutenant Field Marshal (used 1918-1920)
• Sborový generál - Corps General (Jun 12th, 1953 to generálplukovník)
• Generálplukovník - Colonel General (abolished 1998)
• Generál - General (created in 1920 and abolished 1930, today highest rank in Slovakia)
• Armádní generál - General of the Army, General of the Air Force
• Polní zbrojmistr - Field marshal (used 1918-1920)

See also

• Czechoslovakian naval forces
• Government Army

Further reading

• Stephane Lefebvre, 'The Army of the Czech Republic: A Status Report,' Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Vol. 8, No. 4, December 1995, pp. 718–751
• Tomáš Weiss, 'Fighting Wars or Controlling Crowds? The Case of the Czech Military Forces and the Possible Blurring of Police and Military Functions, Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 450-466

External links

• (in English) Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic
• (in Czech) Information Center about NATO