Army of the Czech Republic

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Czech Armed Forces
Armáda České republiky
Coat of Arms
Roundel
Current form1 January 1993
(31 years, 4 months)
Service branches
Headquarters
Minister of Defence
 Jana Černochová
Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka
Personnel
Military age18
ConscriptionAbolished in 2004[1]
Active personnel28 000 professional[2]
4,191 active reserve[2]
Deployed personnel1,200 NATO EFP (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary)
20 Ukraine (diplomatic protection)
8 NATO KFOR
8 EU Operation Althea
5 EU Operation Irini
15 UN MINUSMA
5 UNDOF
20 MFO
[3]
Expenditures
BudgetCZK 151,2 billion ($6.7 billion) (2024)[4]
Percent of GDP2% (2024)[5]
Industry
Domestic suppliers
Foreign suppliers
See list
Related articles
RanksCzech military ranks

The Czech Armed Forces (Czech: Armáda České republiky, lit. 'the Army of the Czech Republic'), also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (Czech: ozbrojené síly České republiky)[14] alongside the Military Office of the President of the Republic and the Castle Guard.[15] The army consists of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Air Force and support units.[16]

Czech Army's main historical legacy and inspiration stems from the 15th century

WW1. Following the Munich Agreement, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and the Army was reconstituted in exile, fighting on the side of Allies of World War II in the European as well as Mediterranean and Middle East theatre. After the 1948 Communist Coup, the Czechoslovak People's Army with over 200,000 active personnel and some 4,500 tanks[17] formed one of the pillars of the Warsaw Pact
military alliance.

Following the

USMC example.[citation needed] Today, the Czech Army has 27.000 professional personnel and 4.000 members of active reserves. Additionally, any citizen can voluntarily join a five week basic training without becoming a soldier[18] or join advanced shooting training with their privately owned firearms and become civilian reservist.[19]

A law adopted in June 2023 stipulates that the military expenditures shall not be lower than 2% of country's

GDP, starting from 2024.[20]

History

Czech lands

Catholic
Crusaders; Jena Codex, 15th century

The military history of the Czech people dates back to the Middle Ages and the creation of the Duchy of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Hussite Wars, Jan Žižka became a military leader of such skill and eminence that the Hussite legacy became an important and lasting part of the Czech military traditions.[21][22]

Official military names since 1918:

1918–1950 - Czechoslovak Armed Forces (this official name was given to the Czechoslovak Army on March 19, 1920 on the basis of the Armed Forces Act)

1950–1954 - Czechoslovak Army

1954–1989 - Czechoslovak People's Army

1990–1992 - Czechoslovak Army

since 1993 - Army of the Czech Republic (ACR)

Czechoslovakia

Main articles: Czechoslovak Army and Czechoslovak People's Army

The

T. G. Masaryk in America,[23] could use to gain the support for the country's independence by the Allies of World War I
.

In 1938,

I Corps
). Four Czech and Slovak-manned RAF squadrons were transferred to Czechoslovak control in late 1945.

Czech Army
soldier (left)

From 1954

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

14th, with a supervisory headquarters at Trenčín in the Slovak part of the country.[27]

During the

Uk vz. 59
machine gun were of Czechoslovak design.

After the fall of communism during the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Czechoslovak People's Army was renamed back to the Czechoslovak Army and was completely transformed as well.

After 1992 (dissolution of Czechoslovakia)

Czech BVP-2 firing in Afghanistan
Joint Multinational Readiness Center
in Hohenfels, Germany

The Army of the Czech Republic was formed after the Czechoslovak Armed Forces split after the 31 December 1992 peaceful 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,[28] 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

Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, Pakistan and with the Coalition forces in Iraq
.

Current deployments (2019):

Structure

Many of the duties of the

commander in chief of the military; no part of these duties can take place but through the assent of the Prime Minister. In matters of war, he is in every sense merely a figurehead, since the Constitution gives all substantive constitutional authority over the use of the armed forces to the Parliament.[29][30] In fact, the only specific thing the constitution allows the President to do with respect to the military is to appoint its generals – but even this must be done with the signature of the Prime Minister.[31]

Czech Armed Forces Organization 2023. Click to expand.
Army of the Czech Republic is located in Czech Republic
4th Mech. Bde.
4th Mech. Bde.
7th Mech. Bde.
7th Mech. Bde.
13th Art. Rgt.
13th Art. Rgt.
25th ADA Rgt.
25th ADA Rgt.
53rd Recon Rgt.
53rd Recon Rgt.
43rd Airborne Rgt.
43rd Airborne Rgt.
class=notpageimage|
Czech Army - combat brigade/regiment locations

Structure of the Czech Armed Forces consists of two main parts and other commands:[32]

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 6 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, but individuals may volunteer to do so. The Reserve presents itself on events like BAHNA, a military show.

Each of the active duty brigades or regiments have their own active reserve subordinate units that train with the same equipment as the professional soldiers and is part of the organisational structure usually as a 4th company in a battalion. The Territorial Command is responsible for the active reserves and have direct control of the 14 infantry companies that belong to regional military commands in each of the 13 regions and capital city Prague.

Equipment

Main article: List of military equipment of the Czech Army

The Army of the Czech Republic, to a large extent, currently uses equipment dating back to the times of the

Aero L-159 Alca and Let L-410 Turbolet
have been produced domestically as well.

At the beginning of 2019, the Czech Ministry of Defence announced its modernization program, consisting of acquiring 210 new modern IFVs as a replacement for the aging

CZK.[37]

In May 2022 the Czech Ministry of Defence announced it will get 15 Leopards 2A4 from Germany as an exchange for Czech tanks that will be given to Ukraine to help defend against Russian invasion and will purchase up to 50 modern 2A7+ variants later.[38][39]

Uniforms

Different types of Czech Army uniforms:

Commanding officers

  • Chief of the General Staff: Lieutenant General Karel Řehka[40]
  • First Deputy Chief of the General Staff: Major General Ivo Střecha[41]
  • Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the AČR-Chief of Staff: Lieutenant General Miroslav Hlaváč[42]
  • Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Inspector of the AČR: Major General Milan Schulc[43]

Current and historic military ranks

Main articles: Ranks of the Czechoslovak Armed Forces and Czech military ranks

See also

  • Czechoslovakian naval forces
  • Government Army

Citations

  1. ISBN 80-7278-312-2. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Vývoj skutečných počtů osob v resortu MO ČR v letech 1992 - 2022 | Ministerstvo obrany".
  3. ^ Usneseni poslanecke snemovn mise.army.cz
  4. ^ "Jasně o rozpočtu: Podívejte se, na co půjde v roce 2024 v resortu obrany nejvíc peněz". 3 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Poslanci v prvním čtení schválili státní rozpočet pro rok 2024". 27 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Czechs Choose, Cancel, then Come Back to Pandur II APCs".
  7. ^ a b c d ""Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Trade Register"".
  8. ^ "Poland Snaps Up 23 MiGs for 1 Euro | Business | The Moscow Times". Archived from the original on 14 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Czech MoD to buy three Spanish EADS CASA-295M transport aircraft".
  10. ^ "Czechs bought three CASA aircraft for price of four, 2005 document shows". 16 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Gripen Contract Signed for Czech Republic". Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Saab contracted for Gripen lease extension in Czech Republic - Airforce Technology". 14 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Czech Republic Eager to Buy More Land Rover Vehicles for Foreign Missions".
  14. ISBN 978-80-7278-803-3
    . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Armed Forces » Professional Army". Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Organisational Structure of the General Staff of ACR". Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Polovina českých tanků stojí "na špalcích", varuje vojenský analytik". 4 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Typy kurzů základní přípravy | Velitelství výcviku - Vojenská akademie".
  19. ^ "Ozbrojení civilisté a budoucí bezpečnostní krize".
  20. ^ "Na obranu půjdou ze zákona dvě procenta HDP, normu podepsal Pavel - Novinky". 7 June 2023.
  21. ^ Gawdiak, Ihor, ed. (1989). Czechoslovakia: a country study (3rd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 218–219.
  22. ISBN 978-80-247-5156-6
    .
  23. ISBN 978-80-87173-47-3
    , pp.17 - 25, 33 - 45, 70 – 96, 100- 140, 159 – 184, 187 - 199
  24. ISBN 978-80-7278-414-1
    .
  25. ^ For more information on the Czechoslovak Army during the Cold War, see Gordon L. Rottman, Warsaw Pact Ground Forces, Osprey Publishing, 1987
  26. ^ Library of Congress Country Study: Czechoslovakia, Ground Forces, 1987
  27. ^ Orbat.com, Warsaw Pact Order of Battle 1989 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2 June 2010
  28. ^ "Starting points for professionalization of the armed forces" (in Czech). 2000. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
  29. ^ Constitution of the Czech Republic, Art. 43
  30. ^ Constitution of the Czech Republic, Art. 39
  31. ^ Constitution of the Czech Republic, Art. 63
  32. ^ "New management and command structure of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic as of 1 July 2013". www.army.cz. Ministerstvo obrany. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  33. ^ "Cyber Forces Command". army.cz. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  34. ISBN 978-0-19-829280-7
    .
  35. ^ Sabak, Juliusz (29 January 2016). "Czech Republic Doubles Its Defence Expenditure. "Modernization, More Troops, New Units"". Defence24. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  36. ^ Casey, Nuala; Holeček, Oldřich. "Minister of Defence receives shipment of Tatra trucks". Ministry of Defence. Ministerstvo obrany. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  37. ^ "Ministerstvo obrany podepsalo s VOP CZ memorandum o spolupráci v projektu největší armádní zakázky v". armadninoviny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  38. ^ "Česko dostane od Německa 15 starších tanků Leopard, dalších až 50 nových si koupí - Novinky.cz". www.novinky.cz. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  39. ^ "Leopard 2 Ringtausch mit Tschechien Deutschland stellt 15 Panzer zur Verfuegung". Die Welt. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  40. ^ "Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces | Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic". www.army.cz. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  41. ^ "První zástupce náčelníka Generálního štábu | Armáda ČR". acr.army.cz. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  42. ^ "Zástupce náčelníka Generálního štábu - náčelník štábu | Armáda ČR". acr.army.cz. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  43. ^ "Zástupce náčelníka Generálního štábu - inspektor AČR | Armáda ČR". acr.army.cz. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.

References

Further reading

External links

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