Czech Defence News of the Week (1st June – 8 June 2018)

Author: NATO, flickr|Caption: Lieutenant General Ales Opata (left)

Deployment of the Czech soldiers on foreign missions was approved by the Chamber of Deputies - Andrej Babiš appointed Prime Minister - the Chamber of Deputies would vote on the new government confidence by 11th July - Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged Minister of Defence Karla Šlechtová to decide on the tender for the purchase of new Israeli radars.

• Deployment of the Czech soldiers on foreign missions was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 1st June. The mandate was supported by 140 out of 170 deputies present. The Senate has already passed the mandate in May. In total the number of deployed soldiers will increase from the current mandate of 806 to 1,081 this year, 1,191 soldiers for 2019, 1,096 in 2020, at total costs of approximately CZK 2.1 billion now, 2.4 billion 2019 and 2.3 billion in 2020.

See also: Current Foreign Deployments of the Czech Army

• The president of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman has appointed billionaire Andrej Babiš Prime Minister on Wednesday.

• Andrej Babiš should reveal names of candidates for ministers of his new government, including the name of the Minister of Defence, within 10 days, after the results of the ČSSD’s (socialists) internal referendum will be announced (which should happen on the 15^th June).

• The Chamber of Deputies would vote on the new government confidence by 11^th July. The ČSSD’s position and the KSČM’s (communists) position will play the crucial role. ANO (prime minister’s party) holds 78 seats of 200 in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament; the ČSSD and the KSČM hold both 15 seats. Andrej Babiš’ first attempt (in December/January) to form a government failed. If Babiš fails again, his government will stay in power until a new arrangement is found.

• The Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged Minister of Defence Karla Šlechtová to decide on the tender for the purchase of new Israeli radars (worth of CZK 3.5 billion). Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army Lieutenant General Aleš Opata said it will be possible to connect the new radars with the NATO systems. The National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB) will approve the purchase and the radars will gain it’s certification, Opata said.