Czech Defence News of the Week (8th – 15th November 2019)

Author: army.cz|Caption: Czech historical flags, 11th November

On 11th November people not only in the Czech Republic commemorated the war veterans. - On 12th November, Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar submitted a material to the Czech Government informing on the public contract for the purchase of 12 multipurpose helicopters. - On 12th November, EU Defence Ministers adopted a Council Decision to launch the third wave of PESCO projects. - According to Chief of Staff General Opata, there are two options concerning Czech figther jets after 2027: extending the Gripen lease by two years, or choosing a new aircraft.

• On 11th November people not only in the Czech Republic commemorated the war veterans. The main Czech piety act took place at 11 am in Prague, Vítkov, a symbolic place for this day. The National Monument became one of the symbols of national pride and after the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia also a monument to Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak legionnaires and domestic resistance. General Aleš Opata said in his speech that traditions are essential for soldiers. He reminded the legionnaires or warriors from World War II: "We are continuing these legends and patterns today," he said. Today the Czech Army has over 15,000 modern war veterans who are determined to fight for freedom and their homeland. "We are thinking of friends who have not returned from the Balkans or Afghanistan. For us, 11th November is always actual. "

See also: The Czech military history and museums

• On 12th November, Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar submitted a material to the Czech Government informing on the public contract for the purchase of 12 multipurpose helicopters. The purchase will take the form of an intergovernmental agreement with the US, through which the Ministry of Defence will acquire the H-1 system, a combination of 8 multipurpose helicopters UH-1Y Venom and 4 attack helicopters AH-1Z Viper. The ministry wants to conclude the contract by the end of the year, so that the Army could get the helicopters by 2023.

See also: Czech multi-purpose helicopters tender – four Vipers cannot be effective

• On 12th November, EU Defence Ministers adopted a Council Decision to launch the third wave of PESCO projects. The Czech Republic did not submit its own project in this wave, but participates in four projects: in one project as a participant (the project “Cyber and Information Domain Coordination Center ”, led by Germany) and in the other three as an observer. These are the projects “Special Operations Forces Medical Training Centre” (project led by Poland), “Counter Unmanned Aerial System” (project led by Italy) and „Materials and components for technological EU competitiveness“ (project led by France).

See also: By 2030 Czech Army should have 40 thousand soldiers backed with modern weapon systems and good budget, new concept says

• At the two-day external meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence the representatives discussed the new Army‘s document: Concept of Construction of the Army of the Czech Republic until 2030. A key point in the Air Force section is the acquisition of new fighter jets. The lease of JAS-39 Gripen aircraft ends in 2027. Five years ago, under the defence minister Martin Stropnický, the lease of the Gripens was extended by 13 years. According to Chief of Staff General Opata, there are two options: extending the Gripen lease by two years, or choosing a new aircraft.