Czech Defence News of the Week (25th October – 1st November 2019)

Author: fb Armáda České republiky|Caption: 143rd Battalion receives its flag

On the occasion of the celebration of the 101st anniversary of the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, a battle flag was awarded to the of the 143rd Supply Battalion. - The possibility of involving Czech companies in tenders announced by NSPA discussed in Capellen. - 21 out of 107 Pandur II CZ wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicles are currently inoperable. - More than two thousand newly registered bone marrow donors were found thanks to an Army’s project. - Soldiers of the 12th BAF Guard Company (Resolute Support in Afghanistan) and of the 4th Group (MINUSMA Headquarters in Mali) were awarded with Medals for Service Abroad.

• On 28th October, a commemoration ceremony at the Honorary Court of the National Monument at Vítkov in Prague started the celebrations of the 101st anniversary of the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia. President Zeman honored 42 personalities and awarded them with state decorations. Almost a quarter of them are tied to the military. He also appointed three new brigadier generals.

See also: 28th October – 101st Anniversary of Czechoslovakia

• On the occasion of the celebration of the 101st anniversary of the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, a battle flag was awarded to the of the 143rd Supply Battalion in Vítkov, Prague. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Lubomír Metnar and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army General Aleš Opata. The flag was awarded the 143rd Supply Battalion for excellent fulfillment of tasks. Members of the unit perform tasks within the 7th Brigade Task Force, NATO Rapid Reaction Force or Task Force of the European Union (BG EU). They also perform a large number of logistics tasks for the benefit of all components of the Czech Armed Forces.

• On Tuesday, 29th October, Filip Říha, Deputy Director of the Armaments and Acquisitions Department of the Ministry of Defence, and Major General Štefan Muránský visited Capellen, Luxembourg, where the NATO Support and Procurement Agency is based. With representatives of the agency they discussed, among other things, the possibility of involving Czech companies in tenders announced by NSPA and the possibility of implementing the V4 project - joint acquisition of ammunition.

See also: Czech Army’s Modernization Projects: Pandur II

• On 30th October, the Defence Committee discussed during its reunion the technical state of the Pandur wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicles of the Czech Army. Some committee members, such as Pavel Růžička, Karel Krejza or Josef Hájek, have criticized the neglect of maintenance of the vehicles, which is caused by the lack of funds allocated for repairs by the Ministry of Defence. The current unsatisfactory situation was explained by Filip Říha, Deputy Director for Armaments and Acquisitions on behalf of the Ministry. Insufficient funding was confirmed by General Opata; 21 out of 107 vehicles are currently inoperable.

• In 2012, a unique project was created, the purpose of which was to find potential bone marrow donors from the ranks of the Army and the general public. Two years ago, the Army returned to this project and more than two thousand newly registered donors were found. Hundreds of people, including young children, get sick of hematopoiesis every year in the Czech Republic. The last hope for the seriously ill are volunteers willing to donate hematopoietic stem cells. “In addition to regular blood donors, we have hundreds of registered bone marrow donors in our ranks. We soldiers are aware that we are in the position of suitable bone marrow donors and we want to help,” Brigadier General Lenka Šmerdová explains the initiative.

See also: Brigadier General Zoltán Bubeník - Committee of Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO (COMEDS)

• On Friday, 1^st November, in the Ceremonial Hall of the National Memorial at Vítkov, 173 soldiers of the 12th Guards Company of the Resolute Support Task Force in Afghanistan and five members of the 4th Group of the Czech Army who served at MINUSMA Headquarters in Mali were awarded with Medals for Service Abroad. Selected soldiers also received the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Honorary Badges for Merit, Badges for Combat Contact and gifts. The Guard Company consisted of 173 people, mainly members of the 72nd Mechanized Battalion.