Czech Defence News of the Week (26th April – 10th May 2019)

Author: kpt. Mgr. Zuzana Špačková, army.cz|Caption: Dark Blade 2019

According to the Prime Minister the special forces need to be able to undertake secret missions or to be deployed rapidly within hours based just on Government’s National Security Council approval - From the 3rd till the 6th May the Liberation Festival took place in Plzeň marking the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Western Bohemia by the US Army – the 74th anniversary of the Prague Uprising was marked in Prague - According to the Eurostat data, the Czech Ministry of Interior granted asylum to one in ten applicants in 2018 - On 8th May the 74th anniversary of the end of the World War II in Europe was marked in Prague - 15 men promoted to the rank of general - the international Dark Blade 2019 helicopter exercise has begun in the Czech Republic.

• On 2nd May during a serious collision of a Prison Service bus transporting nine prisoners and a lorry carrying two WW2 vehicles to the Plzeň Liberation Festival one security guard was killed and 14 other persons were injured. A huge fire broke right after the collision and severely damaged both vehicles, the M3 Stuart tank, and the M36 Jackson tank destroyer, both were supposed to take part in the following Convoy of Liberty. The private collectioner estimated the demage to reach over CZK 3.5 million (USD 150 thousand), requiring five months of work. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.

See also: The Czech military history and museums II

• On 3rd May Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar visited the 601st Special Forces Group in Prostějov. According to the Prime Minister the special forces need to be able to undertake secret missions or to be deployed rapidly within hours based just on Government’s National Security Council approval. Currently any deployment abroad requires approval of the Parliament. The idea was rejected by the Social Democrats (PM’s coalition partners) and the Communists (who support PM’s minority government).

• From the 3rd till the 6th May the Liberation Festival took place in Plzeň (Pilsen) marking the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Western Bohemia by the US 3rd Army of General Patton in 1945. The event was attended by ten veterans from the US and Belgium who saw the action at the end of the World War 2. The program included concerts, conferences, and WW2 re-enactment, with the major point : the Convoy of Liberty with over 200 US and British vehicles including a newly reconstructed M4A4 Sherman tank.

• On Sunday 5th May the 74th anniversary of the Prague Uprising was marked outside Czech Radio’s site in Prague, the place of severe combats between the resistance fighters and the German armed forces in May 1945. The anniversary was another traditional occasion for debates over the historical facts: the German armed forces surrendered before the arrival of the first Soviet tanks. The initial phase of the uprising was efficiently supported by the „Russian Liberation Army“ of General Vlasov, a collaborationist formation that fought against the Soviet Union under the German command.

• According to the Eurostat data, the Czech Ministry of Interior granted asylum to one in ten applicants in 2018, which means the chance in the Czech Republic is three times lower when compared to the EU average; 155 people were granted asylum in total, coming mostly from Ukraine, Georgia, Cuba and Armenia. There were relatively few applications made by citizens of Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq when compared to Germany.

• On 8th May the 74th anniversary of the end of the World War II in Europe was marked by a wreath-laying ceremony and a piety act at the National Monument on Vítkov in Prague, attended by the Czech President Miloš Zeman, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib and other political representatives, Chief of General Staff Aleš Opata, and veterans of WW2.

• On the same day President Miloš Zeman promoted 15 men to the rank of general. The First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Jaromír Zůna has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Chief of Staff Miroslav Hlaváč has been promoted to the rank of Major General, as well as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff - Inspector of Czech Armed Forces Milan Schulc. Two WW2 veterans were also promoted. Emil Boček, fighter pilot of the 310th Czechoslovak Squadron RAF has been promoted to the rank of General (of the Army), Miloslav Masopust, member of the 1st Czechoslovak Corps in the USSR, to the rank of Major General. As expected, the President did not promote the head of the BIS (Security Information Service) Michal Koudelka, despite recommendation by the Government.

See also: Paramilitary groups - a growing threat aimed by the Security Information Service

• On 9th May the international Dark Blade 2019 helicopter exercise has begun in the Czech Republic, together with the air forces from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. The Czech Air Force deploys its Mi-24/35 gunships and the Mi-17 helicopters, and the allied forces operate the A-109B, NH-90, B-412, AS-532 or the CH-53 helicopters. Over 800 Czech and 300 allied soldiers are taking part in the exercise with 26 combat and transport helicopters and four light attack L-159 jets.

See also: Military exercises in the Czech Republic - Dark Blade 2019