Military of the Czech Republic

The Army of the Czech Republic (Armáda České Republiky) comprise the land forces, the Czech Air Force and support units. From the late 1940s to 1989, the extensive Czechoslovak Armed Forces (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.

History
The Czechoslovak Armed Forces were originally formed after 1918, when Czechoslovakia was created from former Austro-Hungarian areas after the defeat of that country in World War I. Following the downfall of Czechoslovakia and occupation of its Czech part by Nazi Germany in 1939, 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.

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 Sa vz. 58 assault rifle or the Uk vz. 59 machine gun were of Czechoslovak design.

After 1992 (dissolution of Czechoslovakia)
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. 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.

Current deployments (as of 2010):


 * Kosovo: NATO Operation "Joint Enterprise" (KFOR) - 450 soldiers
 * Afghanistan: NATO Operation (ISAF) - 458 soldiers, 12 civilian experts and 3 Mi-171S helicopters in Faizabad, Logar and Paktika provinces.
 * Somalia: EU Operation Atalanta (NAVFOR) - 3 soldiers
 * DR Congo: UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) - 3 military observers
 * Afghanistan: UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMA) - 1 military observer
 * Kosovo: UN peacekeeping mission (UNMIK) - 1 military observer

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

Structure


Structure of the Czech Armed Forces consists of three parts:


 * General Staff of Czech Armed Forces (Praha)
 * Spol sily01.jpg Land Forces (Praha)
 * Czech roundel.svg Air Force (Praha)

The 153rd Engineer Battalion based in Olomouc was created on 15 October 2008 and is subordinated to the 15th Engineer Brigade, Joint Forces Command. 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
Equipment numbers as of January 1, 2013

Uniforms
Different types of Czech Army uniforms:

Commanding officers

 * Chief of the General Staff: Lieutenant General Petr Pavel
 * 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 - Sub-lieutenant (abolished 2011)
 * Poručík - Second lieutenant, Lieutenant
 * Nadporučík - First lieutenant
 * Kapitán - Captain (formerly Setnik in the Home Army)
 * Štábní kapitán - Senior Captain (abolished 1952)
 * Major
 * Podplukovník - Lieutenant colonel
 * Plukovník - Colonel
 * Brigádní generál - Brigade General (abolished 1950, reinstated 1999)
 * Divizní generál - Divisional General (abolished 1950)
 * Generálmajor - Major General
 * Generálporučík - Lieutenant General
 * Polní podmaršálek - Lieutenant Field Marshal (used 1918-1920)
 * Sborový generál - Corps General (abolished 1951)
 * 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)