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Prime Minister of muscle, but fat if necessary. I do not want the cuts be the Czech Republic, done indiscriminately and impair the lowest ranks only.” Petr Necas, introduced The new defence minister stressed the defence Dr. Alexandr Vondra to department needed support from the public, without the offi ce of Minister which it would be able to sustain development of the of Defence following military, and at the same time it needed stability and the appointment of guarantees for those who are serious about defence of new Czech Cabinet by the Czech Republic and its international commitments. the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus on July 13, 2010. In the process of assuming the offi ce of the Minister of Prime Minister Necas said in his remarks that Defence of the Czech Republic, Alexandr Vondra gave an Dr. Alexandr Vondra had worked in foreign and security interview to www.army.cz – the following is an abbreviated fi elds for almost twenty years and represented a high version: added value for the MoD department. At the same time, Minister, what changes have been the key ones in the he thanked outgoing Minister Bartak for his high-quality development of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic performance. over the past twenty years? PM Necas confi rmed that the department of There are three breaking points in my view: progressive defence faced challenging tasks. ”As to international downsizing of the excessively large armed forces, joining commitments of the Czech Republic, we must remain NATO including deployments for major international a reliable partner, we must keep participating in foreign operations and transitioning to all-volunteer force. These operations in a credible manner. At the same time the three steps were essential and correct. But unfortunately defence department must be able to handle budget not all the reforms were performed with a clear vision. restrictions and the process of making fi nancial fl ows Some decisions were voluntaristic and rather close to and acquisitions more transparent must continue, not improvising, while we keep repying the arising dues only at the MoD, but across governmental departments arising to date. In a way, we are still lacking a clear and agencies.“ answer to the key question: what do we have the military Dr. Alexandr Vondra in his fi rst address as the Minister for and what for we will be using it over the next fi fteen of Defence thanked the outgoing minister Martin Bartak to twenty years. We owe the answer and we must offer it for his endeavour in national defence. He said that both to soldiers inside and the public outside, because we faced huge budget cuts but he did not want to put we will not do without their support. defence of this country in danger. “I do not want to cut What will be the fi rst steps you are going to take at the Ministry of Defence? In the weeks ahead, we will be preparing the budget for the next year. We have undertaken in the coalition agreement to save CZK 2.1 billion. My objective will be to identify possible savings in all types of expenses so that the cuts would not fall only on non-commissioned offi cers and soldiers although it would be the easiest solution for some high-ranking people. In nutshell – if we are to cut anything, it must be fat, not muscle. In addition to that, I would like to call on the defence community to set up a group comprising civilian and military experts both from inside and outside the MoD Department, who will be tasked to the White Book, an essential policy document about the future of the Armed Forces. ourselves. capabilities will nothavecertain whenwe including ininstances that ourAllieswillhelpus time, wemusthaveassurances in thefuturetopay. Atthesame us willtherebefor what pricetag be aclearvisionwhywedosoand path ofspecialisation,theremust the wedecidetopursue Before cancelling Wenational territory. areneither ofour core functions–protection mustnotloseits armed forces the today’s securityenvironment, specialisation islogicalin Whileniche lised armedforces. and specia- between all-service or specialised? have–all-service Armed Forces ill-considered our creditasareliableAllywith deliver themandnothamperon Alliestomeet.Weour NATO must We alsohavecommitmentsto year. the amountoffundingevery just totwelvemonths,andchange planning periodmaynotbelimited development end. ArmedForces toan must simplybebrought ofDefence’sbudget the Ministry in needofquickfundsgrabbingfor instead. Thepracticeofeveryone them weshouldstabilise forever; Defence cutsmaynotgoon crisis isalsoanopportunity. savings inthelongrun.But appropriations? defence funding bycurtailing necessary aiming toobtain of yourcoalitionpartners Today weare somewhere What conceptshouldthe ustoseek The crisisforces How willyouresistthepressure photos byMarie K fi ghters nor tanks. tanks. nor ghters fi scal planning. www.army.cz ř ížová

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Printed by: Jan Jindra Translation: Jitka Oktábcová Layout: Jan Procházka Editor-in-chief: July 2010 Date ofpublication: www.army.cz Identi E-mail: [email protected] Tel./fax: +420-973 215 569 Tel.: +420-973 215 553 Czech Republic 161 05Praha6 Rooseveltova 23 Address: Centre and Information the CzechRepublic, Presentation ofDefence Published byMinistry 1/2010 REVIEW FORCES CZECH ARMED and Information Centreand Information Presentation Č R E18227 ﬁ cation number: 60162694cation number: s t n

e The Chairman of NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, arrived

v Prague July 15, 2010, for a two-day visit of the Czech Republic. E Events

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Friday,Friday, JulJulyy 16, 2010, Admiral Di Paola attended an ooffﬁ cial welcominwelcomingg ceremonyceremony with military honours in the Honorary Courtyard of the Vítkov National MemorialMemorial, accompanied by the Chief of General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, General Vlastimil Picek.

The welcome ceremony also involved the Military Representative of the Czech Republic in NATO and EU, Lieutenant-General Jaroslav Kolkus. After reviewing the Czech Armed Forces Honour Unit, Admiral Di Paola with General Picek laid a wreath to the Memorial at Vítkov.

2 Admiral Di Paola then met with General Picek at the General Staff for discussions on transformation of Czech Armed Forces and on options available to Czech Armed Forces. General Picek and Admiral Di Paola also touched on modernisation projects underway in the Czech defence department. Their discussion focused on operations and primarily the missions in Afghanistan. “The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic has always worked actively in foreign operations and that will continue. Such efforts will however be based on political decisions of our political leaders and will depend on the number one. “Presently, it is essential to invest into potential of national economy,“ General Picek stressed. training Afghani National Security Forces. Secure future Admiral Di Paola’s military service career has been of Afghanistan is also a secure future for us. In case extremely rich - he commanded Cappelini and Sauro savings are needed, the restrictions should be done in submarines as well as Garibaldi aircraft carrier and overhead and administrative functions, not operations,“ served in senior positions of the Italian Ministry of Admiral Di Paola stressed. Defence and Defence Staff. In a press conference he On Friday, the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee stated: “As a NATO representative, I would like to say had a call on the Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra at that the Alliance is very grateful for all contributions the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Their the Czech Republic is providing into operations in discussion covered the involvement of Czech Armed Kosovo and Afghanistan. Despite the diffi cult economic Offi cers in international efforts, primarily Operation situation impacting on other Allies alike, NATO remains ISAF in Afghanistan, and the ongoing transformation of very grateful for your participation in those efforts.“ Czech Armed Forces. The Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee also said The Czech Republic will send a new unit to Afghanistan increasing the number of instructors in Afghanistan was an – an operational mentoring and liaison team to provide important moment on the way towards improving security training to Afghani National Army personnel. A fi fty- situation in the country. As to NATO’s requirements member team to operate in the Wardak Province in addressed to the Czech Republic, they are the same as Afghanistan will deploy in a September timeframe. The requirements addressed to all other Allies, and it is up new deployment, however, fi ts within the number of to each NATO nation how those contributions will be service personnel in foreign operations mandated by the realised. But Afghanistan remains operational priority Parliament for 2010. The schedule of Admiral Di Paola’s visit also included a brief call with the President of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus.

www.army.cz photos by Marie Křížová and MoD PIC

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General Vlastimil Picek, the Chief of General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, visited with a working group Czech soldiers serving their tours as a part of task forces delivering objectives of Operation ISAF in the territory of Afghanistan.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, ANYTIME assignment is performed here and express my personal support to your duties. The motto that your unit boasts: – ANYWHERE ‘Nothing is impossible, anytime – anywhere‘ are not just The ﬁ rst stop was made at the 2nd Czech Armed Forces words.“ contingent ISAF – HELI UNIT in the Paktika province in Along with the contingent commander and other the east of the country. members of his team, General Picek then visited the Commander of the helicopter unit at Forward Commander U.S. Task Force Timberwolf and Commander Operating Base Sharana, Lieutenant-Colonel Milan of the base the Czech helicopter unit operates from, Koutný, briefed the members of General Picek’s team Brigadier Charles Martin, who told the delegation on the contingent’s operational capabilities, as well as the Czech helicopter force’s performance had been minor shortcomings the contingent is able to handle excellent. “inﬂ ight“. All attendees were then invited to tour the mobile maintenance shop that serves for keeping the rotary wing assets serviceable. Addressing the 2nd Czech Armed Forces contingent in line-up, General Picek said: “I arrived to gain familiarity with how the operational

4 HUMBLENESS – MODESTY – HUMANITY On the second day, the Chief of General Staff Czech Armed Forces General Picek continued his inspection visit in the heart of Afghanistan, the Logar province. Personnel of the 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent in Operation ISAF work closely with the civilian component of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. They assess mutual cooperation as exceeding high-quality standards. Both the military and civilians conclude: ”Development without security is inconceivable and security without development does not make sense. One team – one mission.“ General Picek met both the military and the civilian PRT component. Military Police officers informed him about the need for a higher number of Afghani National Police officers demanded by the Government of Afghanistan and about the necessity to continuously improve training not only on the base, but also in the field in assigned area of responsibility. Czech instructors spoke about the Afghanis as good marksmen, who are also said to display surprising agility on obstacle courses. The training they receive Mi-24 helicopter pilots and further opportunities to train focuses on suspect apprehension, vehicle checking and pilots on Mi-17 Hinds. countering victim-borne improvised explosive devices. In an informal meeting with Commander ISAF Recent numbers show fifty-four Afghans out of 56, Operation Headquarters General David M. Rodriguez, who received a training course completion certificate, the Czech delegation was updated on current situation and were issued a tactical vest, helmet, gloves, field in Afghanistan. General Picek also met the Ambassador uniform, handcuffs and sports and protective aids. of the Czech Republic in Afghanistan, H.E. Petr Pelz. Aged between 26 and 30 on average, the Afghans - new A short briefi ng by Lieutenant-Colonel Josef Šimůnek, protectors of law and order in the country – regard the the Commander the 3rd Czech Armed Forces NSE certificate award ceremony a very important event. contingent, followed in the afternoon at KAIA. “I would like to thank all of you for a job well done; A new element in the Armed Forces of the Czech I follow new developments in your area in a very Republic was the briefi ng by Deputy Chief of General aggravated security situation every day. You are right, Staff – Director of MoD Joint Operations Center, Brigadier and Colonel Johnson confi rmed what you said, that General Aleš Opata to General Picek on the fi nal report cooperation of Czech soldiers with their U.S. colleagues produced by the Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT) is presently the best of all joint Czech-U.S. endeavours in tasked to evaluate individual areas of vulnerability this province. I know your motto is Humbleness – Modesty and weaknesses of deployments in performance of – Humanity. On the whole, you are evaluated as one of the missions and assignments in Operation ISAF, propose best PRTs and that is appreciated at all levels. So I would systemic measures to increase their protection and add to your motto: and diligence,“ also present proposals to redress shortcomings and General Picek concluded both his recommendation on implementing lessons-learnt into evening briefi ng and the second training or introducing new materiel into inventory. day of his inspection trip. The VAT replaced the obsolete system of evaluating and inspection of foreign deployments by the means of PRECISION AND methodology assistance and subject-matter inspections that judged mission performance from the viewpoint ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS of peacetime status, not in the perspective of combat On the third day of his visit, deployment of Czech forces in a real operation. General Picek travelled to the 3rd Service personnel of the 3rd Czech Armed Forces Czech Armed Forces Contingent contingent and CBRN Defence unit in Operation ISAF NSE and CBRN defence unit in surprised the Chief of General Staff with their precision Operation ISAF stationed at KAIA. and outstanding organisational skills. Before his The morning meeting involving departure to the Czech Republic, he made a farewell General Picek and Chief of General with them saying: ”You have neither any motto, nor Staff of Afghanistan, General slogan, but you were simply born with precision and Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, organisational skills.“ primarily covered cooperation between the two countries, by Mira Třebická, Communication Manager specifi cally as concerns training of the Chief of General Staff ACR 5 W

E Key national defence and security policies and documents on strategic I development of the MoD Department alike are developed by the MoD Defence V Policy and Strategy Division E R REVIEW

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It just takes one security turnstile and a couple of doors w to make it from the Defence Ministry entry gate into the e

i ofﬁ ce of Mr. Ivan Dvořák. Just several dozen steps v and you stand face-to-face with him. The more r

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I Interview for Deputy Minister of Defence for Foreign Affairs – Director MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division (DPSD) is extremely busy. A Report and Armed Forces Review periodicals have experienced that, and eventually got their forty minutes for an interview.

Often seen among the leadership of the Ministry of NATO’s new Strategic Concept. In addition to that, I sit Defence and the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, on the Defence Group on Proliferation (DGP) or attend do you consider yourself a man of infl uence? meetings of both NATO and EU Defence Policy Directors. I develop plans of offi cial foreign relations for approval by I have never understood my endeavour in the MoD my bosses, I approve bilateral cooperation plans, I steer Department as some sort of fi ghting for infl uence; the Defence coordination group on foreign cooperation in other words, I do not make any distinction among and supervise groups of defence advisors working capacities with higher or lower infl uence. Any one at Czech Republic’s missions in foreign countries individual or functionary, be they military professionals falling into my responsibility. I am also in charge of or civilian employees, has relevant responsibilities MoD positions and documents for the sessions of the and duties assigned and it is up to the individual what National Security Council, committees of the Parliament quality standards he or she will perform their job of the Czech Republic or defence policy related bills to at. At the moment, I am in the head of the Defence Ministry’s Defence Policy and Strategy Division and I am assigned completely specifi c tasks, a specifi c share of responsibility. Could you expand on that?

For example, we are currently in the process of implementing a brand new planning system while effort is underway to develop the 2012-16 Minister’s Planning Guidance. Apart from that, I am responsible for coordinating foreign cooperation in the MoD Department and represent the Ministry of Defence on several senior groups in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, including the senior group on NATO command arrangements reform. Furthermore, my duties include representing the Czech Republic’s interests in the sessions of the High Level Group (HLG) on NATO’s nuclear policy, which is increasingly gaining on importance, especially now before the adoption of 6 beb ppresentedresenttedd iinn sesessionsssiions ooff ththee CCaCabinet.binett. BBesides,esides, I am sectionsecttiion anandd ththee iininternationaltternattiional rerelationsllations sesection;cttiionn; ooff charged to lead the secretariat of Defence Planning the Strategic Development Department with MoD Committee, including cooperation with appropriate planning and development section, strategic capability bodies of Ministries and other governmental agencies. development section and national defence planning The whole broad MoD DPSD agenda is pursued by many and crisis management section. In addition to those two experienced and highly qualifi ed experts, so I would not departments, the MoD DPSD comprises three sections: like just my person to be in the fore. international law section, strategic analyses section and organisational development section. Let me underscore Now, many defence personnel do not have a clue what that the service we provide to top MoD and state offi cials defence policy and strategy of the Ministry of Defence includes development of subject-matter agenda for their actually entails … meetings. We prepare specialist recommendations to inform decision-making. I can give you the responsibilities MoD DPSD is responsible for shaping principles for all the mentioned components in detail, if you will. of the Czech Republic’s defence and security policy, of the MoD Department’s strategic development and My apologies, but that would be too much to fi t into our national defence planning principles. We develop the periodicals. Could rather you tell how much down the key strategic policies in this respect. road do you plan? A clearer picture is gained breaking down the Division’s structure, which automatically provides Planning runs in cycles and covers the medium term of the workings. The Division comprises of the Defence fi ve years. Nevertheless, we also develop broader-based Policy Department formed by the defence policy policy documents, such as the Military Strategy, or with a longer outlook, as was the case of MoD Department Longterm vision, which were both approved in 2008. Next year, we are expecting to prepare the Czech Republic’s Defence Strategy in the follow-up to NATO’s new Strategic Concept and the prepared White Book on Defence. Our projections run at least ten years ahead, which is indeed the planning timeframe NATO uses. We are building on our analyses and observing strategic goals of international organisations the Czech Republic is a member of. In addition to that, we are also able to perform rather operative taskings. How will the arms reduction treaty recently signed between the United States of America and the Russian Federation affect the Czech MoD’s longterm visions?

It will deﬁ nitely have some impact. The reset of relations between the U.S. and the Russian Federation, as well as between NATO and Russia, will be projected in general perception of security and thereby into the 7 W debates on NATO’s Strategic Concept and, consequently, E

I into national security or indeed defence strategies. The existing analyses and positions may be reviewed. We V reiterated on a sustained basis that we are committed to

E working with the Russian Federation. We regard Russia as a partner but the important thing is that Russia would R REVIEW perceive us as a partner too. Our cooperation should be r two-way; it is not about a zero-sum game. o f

The Czech Minister of Defence and the U.S. Secretary of Defense also signed an important agreement in the

w beginning of June; it even received comments on its

e signing that we ”have ranked among the elite”. Where i do you think the key importance is of the bilateral v Agreement on Research, Development, Testing and r Evaluation? Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, who visited e

t Importance of the agreement is highlighted by the very the Czech Republic in mid-July. What was the attitude of Admiral Di Paola on the Czech position and the promise n fact that it was personally signed by defence ministers I Interview for of the two countries which is not quite commonplace to send a training team? with other agreements. Signing the agreement means both parties reaffi rmed their exclusive mutual defence Admiral Di Paola has an in-depth familiarity with our relationship and plus the focus on research and plans and he said on several occasions during his visit he technology enjoys a very high attention on both sides. highly valued our focus. All senior MoD offi cials meeting Moreover, the agreement provides opportunities for the Admiral reaffi rmed the intent despite fi nancial organisations and individuals outside the defence diffi culties we have been facing. He also appreciated sector to become involved in research and development the fact that we would send, in September later this year projects. as we promised, an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) in the Wardak Province. A wide range of both political leaders and military commanders visited the Czech Ministry of Defence. We The Parliament of the Czech Republic mandated the expect that the situation in Afghanistan was one of the Armed Forces to deploy up to 535 service personnel in central issues entertained. Could you elaborate on what 2010 as a ceiling. Does the authorised number need to those meetings discussed? fi lled immediately upon endorsement?

That is the case, because we continue regard The mandate is given for the whole calendar year. Afghanistan a high priority. Everybody agrees that this It does not mean that all task forces would deploy at year is the key one. The discussions chieﬂ y resound the January the ﬁ rst. That is also the case of the mentioned issue of increasing troop contributions by individual Czech Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) NATO nations, especially with a view to deploying training for a Kandak (battalion equivalent) of the Afghan teams and instructors. That will accelerate preparations for the whole process of handing the country gradually over to Afghani National Security Forces and Afghan authorities. We joined Operation ISAF together and we want to leave Afghanistan together as well. It is therefore essential to strengthen this dimension. Could you comment on this situation in a greater detail?

In its efforts in Afghanistan, the Czech Republic builds on four pillars: supporting reconstruction efforts, building the Afghani National Security Forces, sustaining deployed forces and deploying special forces. The Eastern part of the country has been the primary location for us to operate and we expect to carry on sending deployments there. In the future, we want to dedicate a higher attention to the training of Afghani National Security Forces than we have done so far. Afghanistan was also one of the topics during discussions with the Chairman of NATO’s Military 8 National Army (ANA), scheduled for deployment in September later this year. By no means does a possible lower number contradict the endorsed mandate. Let us entertain deployed operations some more. The Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Dr. Alexandr Vondra, said in his fi rst interview after assuming the offi ce: ”We also have commitments to our Allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, We have to meet them and not hamper on our credit as a reliable Ally. Is such certainty important for your work in the many NATO and national committees? Look, certainty for maintaining continuity in foreign and defence policy is important from two perspectives in this respect: on one side, for our soldiers, who plan and prepare deployments and service personnel actually involved in those operations and missions; and on the other hand we demonstrate to our NATO partners that we are dependable and foreseeable. Those were the reason leading the MoD to initiate amending the system our Parliament employs to authorise mandates for the Czech Armed Forces to deploy our soldiers for operations from one-year to a two-year mandate with outlook for the third Let us get back to the homeland. Browsing long term day. visions of the MoD Department, do you fi nd there any What about the future of Czech Armed Forces more reorganisations or restrictions? contingents in Kosovo? A major challenge the MoD Department has faced over the past couple of years the instability of defence Security situation in Kosovo is getting stable, which appropriations. With economic downturn on and public enables downsizing the KFOR personnel substantially. budget defi cit increasing, it is an unpleasant situation, Recommendation is being developed for proceeding to but it is for real, and we have to be able to cope with it. Gate 2, which in fact represents having roughly fi ve and We need to identify ways and areas with potential for a half thousand Allied soldiers in Kosovo. We will not see savings to be achieved. But it is clear at this time that if the Czech contingent closing down Camp Sajkovac this we want to carry on delivering on our mandatory duties year, as we will be taking over the role of battalion-size and international commitments, we will still need to cut operational reserve force. We plan to conclude the Czech some structures of the MoD Department. That involves contingent’s eleven years’ of operation then, while we components that are essentially non-deployable, expect to maintain our representation in international including staffs as well as overhead and administrative staffs there in the years ahead. components. Possible impacts should already not affect forces in any way. Final question, Sir: Minister of Defence, Alexandr Vondra, aims to set up a committee comprising military and civilian experts to develop the so-called White Book on Defence. What will be the input the MoD DPSD staff will be providing to what the Minister referred to as the ”fundamental policy document on the future of the Armed Forces“? The specifi c input for the MoD DPSD to provide into development of this key policy document is naturally left for the Minister to decide. But nevertheless, given the body of experience we have assembled developing strategic policy documents and our knowledge of international security environment, I am confi dent we have the potential to play an important role in developing the policy document at hand.

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by Jan Kouba and Vladimír Marek 9 n o i t SSinceince AApril,pril, MajorMajor MMilanilan VVojáojáčekek hhasas bbeeneen aann ooperationperation ppilotilot a

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N NATO Integration IInn AWACSAWACS over Europe

At the runway threshold of NATO airbase nearby Geilenkirchen, Germany, an E-3A Sentry AWACS airplane stands ready. ”Cleared for take-off, runway two seven,“ instruction from trafﬁ c controller sounds in the headset of the pilot, Major Milan Vojáček. Having set the four Pratt&Whitney turbofans to take-off mode, he let loose brakes. Boeing B-707/320 with its hallmark, the round rotating radar antenna, starts on the runway and gets airborne soon to climb to its ﬂ ight level. It is about ninety minutes before today’s destination in Norway is reached. 1010 In AWACS ooverver EEuropeurope

1111 n o

i course at the Training Wing. “Another

t clean product of the ﬂ ight training

a factory was out,“ he laughs and admits

r in the retrospect that he has not been

g through anything more demanding in his aviator profession. e

t The ﬁ rst day of April was not All Fools’ Day for him but a prestigious day. He n

I joined the 1st Operation Squadron

as ﬁ rst pilot. “There is no time for ceremonies here. Squadron personnel O change as frequently as every two T weeks. Those going out put beers and

A pizza on the bar and receive a plaque from the commander. Incomers just N NATO Integration introduce themselves briefl y,“ MAJ Vojáček explains and describes what awaits him down the road. “I need to attain the combat ready status within First laurels reaped! The Czech Republic already does six months. It got stuck at the moment on the completion have a pilot of the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control of ground preparation. But I have already completed System (AWACS) aircraft. The individual is Major Milan several fl ights on the left, as the captain. In order for it Vojáček, currently a member of the ”Tiger“ 1st Flying to become a permanent matter, I need to meet a whole Squadron of the NATO E-3A Component based in the number of other criteria. I estimate the captain seat vicinity of Geilenkirchen, Germany. Having previously within eighteen months; it represents another huge served at Kbely, the pilot now takes turns in being effort. Here, you do not get any alleviation, you rather seated, from April earlier this year, in the right and left get some more tasking.“ seat in the AWACS cockpit – in the position of fi rst pilot and airplane captain in training. But that is not the fi nal LANDING WITH ENGINE OFF objective either. His fl ight training on the old lady with the dish goes on intensively. How does it feel like to fl y an AWACS? “Frankly, it is much more demanding than I thought it would be. Ranging END TW DRILL from the absence of hydraulic actuators during piloting to a long period of time spent onboard. Everything is based “I have gone through hell,“ MAJ Vojáček describes with on a good knowledge of the performance parameters. obvious exaggeration the six-month drill in the Training AWACS is a machine working on modes. If you set the right Wing (TW). After the initial theoretical prologue covering fi gures in specifi c situations, the airplane will respond the material part of AWACS, the so-called simulation the way it is expected to,“ MAJ Vojáček elaborates and stage followed. That encompasses the total of sixteen emphasises the pilot’s professional performance. “The simulator missions both as a fi rst pilot and as airplane airplane is typical with its general inertia; you need captain. They cover management of emergencies in to wait patiently for its response after you have taken fl ight. There are defi ned procedures for all emergencies action. Fitfulness is not desirable in fl ight control, you that pilots have to have appropriate knowledge about, need to fl y in a relaxed manner despite holding such but primarily he must be able to perform them. An a mammoth on the yoke.“ effective and sophisticated academic training system The practical experience allows him to compare is continuously overseen by instructors and other fl ight piloting of Boeing with the dish and the TCA (Training training specialists. ”Checking our any of our knowledge and Cargo Aircraft) seven-o-seven. The TCA and skills may take place anytime,“ the Czech military is like a sport car in this respect, in other pilot says and concludes it was often more demanding to manage piloting the simulator than the real AWACS. MAJ Vojáček completed the January testing on the sim successfully. His next assignment was nevertheless more engaging a bit: eight training fl ights on a real seven-o- seven, again concluded by a test. The fi rst try that trainees have to pass did not come out well for MAJ Vojáček; but second time he succeeded. The fi nal comprehensive piloting techniques test likewise. The last day of March, he could fi nally draw a deep breadth and relax a bit as he successfully completed the basic training 1212 words much faster. You really feel the absence of the readying yourselves another one may go off and you will radar antenna. Previous experience with fl ying the L-39 be landing with two engines on only. Luckily that did not Albatross trainer jets comes useful,“ he argues. happen. We only fi lled in a safety report after landing. The Czech pilot goes on reviewing his endeavour. His That is not a reason to stop training at the component. description of the existing fl ight effort results in at least It is like a bass guitar with one string broken. You play two conclusions. ”The training mission fi nale involves an using the other three.“ approach at some of the European airports and repeated take-off from the local runway. The fi rst part is often NEXT CHALLENGE? REFUELLING performed with one engine off, the second one at full throttle on all AWACS engines. Why do we train this? It is A view of the apron at the MOB (Main Operating Base) reality that has happened on several occasions already. in Geilenkirchen may be surprising to some. Despite the I am no exception to that.“ NATO E-3A Component registers 17 AWACS aircraft in its For clear reasons, Major Vojáček is not rather eager inventory, the apron is nearly empty. Why? The machines to discuss the conk-out. But he eventually consents and are deployed at three FOBs (Forward Operating Base) describes a recent case. ”We performed repeated take- in Trapani (Italy), Konya (Turkey), Aktion (Greece) and off from runway in Geilenkirchen and one engine went Oerland (Norway). In addition to that, some of the aircraft off in the most critical phase. The airplane tended to participate in NATO exercises or undergo maintenance. drive off the runway. Our reaction needed to be quick and ”It is not that easy to fi nd suitable locations for our fl ight in compliance with regulations. Within four seconds we training every day. Given the AWACS performance data, assessed the situation and performed required action we have specifi c limits for landings and takeoffs. We most onboard. We managed to handle it well and we got the frequently operate at airports in the Federal Republic of machine airborne with three Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom and engines. Flying with one Luxembourg. We are also planning to provide support engine conked out, you are to air exercises in the Czech Republic with the E-3A AWACS airplane. The Czech Republic has a considerable advantage in this respect, because it is located within an hour’s fl ight from the designated refuelling area covered by the U.S. Air National Guard KC-135 tankers,“ MAJ Vojáček adds and states that air-to-air refuelling training is the next challenge for him. ”Infl ight refuelling is solely the captain’s responsibility. You get your fi fteen minutes of fame and off you go showing what you have learnt.“ AWACS aircraft performance data implies that the machine may operate in the area of interest for up to ten hours. Outsiders may ask what is done to fi ll that 1313 n o i period of time? ”We support the so-called mission crew. t In windows where there are no fl ight activities involving

a combat aircraft, we practise emergency procedures r onboard. Their frequency and type is not limited. It is

g deﬁ nitely not boring to be on an operation ﬂ ight,“ argues the Czech Air Force pilot, for whom the multinational e

t environment of the unit in Geilenkirchen became its second home. “My colleagues’ positive attitude and n

I their selﬂ ess help in any situation are a great impulse

for me. Counting in my excellent family and one- hundred percent service provided by the Czech support O component at Joint Force Command Headquarters in T Brunssum, Netherlands, I am managing to accomplish

A my professional assignments.“ N NATO Integration PERMANENT OPTIMISM “I am still optimistic about an early membership for the Czech Republic in the NAEW&C programme.“ As if this opening statement by Mr. Jiří Bednář, the Czech representative in the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Program Management Organisation (NAPMO) headquartered in Brunssum, Netherlands, heralded the whole contents of the interview. We spoke with Mr. Bednář, who was posted here by the MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division, about the Czech engagement, be it in the observer role or as a full member of the NAEW&C programme, at the beginning of December last year. At that time, there was every indication that the fi nal act - the signature permitting the Czech Republic to fully accede – would take place without any obstacles. ”The signing has not occurred yet because of purely administrative reasons,“ the Czech representative said and elaborated: ”The Czech Republic participates in sessions of nearly all groups. Other nations involved in the programme, those seventeen permanent members, regards the Czech Republic a member as De facto a matter of fact. The only step to be taken is the administrative measure, de iure if you will the act of signing and formal affi rmation of our accession to the program.“ For Mr. Bednář, the fi rst half of 2010 was marked with big, substantial changes he says. ”I had a chance to gain insight into many circumstances and details, cooperation programs. For the time being, this is the whose knowledge and understanding enables us a more question of ”possible future cooperation “ according quality engagement. The positive aspect is the Czech to Mr. Bednář, but it is essential to identify areas for Republic enjoys the treatment Czech involvement to consider already at this stage. as a member, as contributing “The NAEW&C program is one a few projects you do nation that seeks to make use not only contribute in, but can also benefit from. In of all possibilities the program practical terms: if you meet all the tough conditions is offering.“ applying mainly to aerospace industries, you stand Indeed, those opportunities a real chance of getting into green figures overall. No represent a range of work – no rewards applies fully.“ offers for the Despite we are still an observer on the programme, Czech Republic, its still before the door, we seek to cover both industrial Armed Forces cooperation groups. The fi rst one, the Industry Benefi t and chiefl y for Group, engages in the sphere of fl ight operations Czech enterprises support. The other one called Industry Participation is the to join industrial part where direct involvement of Czech manufacturing centers comes into play. “Specifi c project assignments are pursued there, such as cockpit modernisation, simulator modernisation as well as installation and use of state-of-the-art navigation systems, high-capacity data transmission systems,“ Mr. Bednář unveils what is behind the scenes in Brunssum and adds: ”Everything must be suited to operating as a part of traffi c over Europe. The traffi c in European airspace is very dense and military aircraft must be able to operate in the domain of civil aviation.“ Nevertheless, the NAEW&C programme is not just about science and technology, but primarily about involvement of people, specifi cally military experts of various occupational specialties into training and subsequent operational missions in the instance of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. A member of Czech Air Force is scheduled to join the Training Wing to start training as a navigator in August, while the assignment of additional two Czech specialists is planned in December timeframe to man the mission crew, i.e. specialist operators of various early warning and control systems onboard AWACS. Despite the Czech Republic and its Armed Forces having only one permanent representative at the NAPMO headquarters in Brunssum, the meetings of various committees see the attendance of experts from many Czech MoD components and agencies. ”There is a common interest to maintain the good credit the Czech Republic has managed to win,“ Mr. Bednář says by the way of conclusion, and adds: “I am just a feeler that identifi es problems and, based on my understanding of the matter at hand, I am in close contact with experts back in Prague, namely from the MoD Armaments Division, the MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division, the Force Development Division.“ So, our offi ce doors both at Brunssum and Geilenkirchen are open. It only takes the notional legal act - signing the Czech Republic’s full membership in the NATO AEW&C programme, which is expected soon. But it is for sure that our engagement enjoys visibility and we have many opportunities to strengthen our role.

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by Jan Kouba and NATO E-3A Component

1515 t r o f f E

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Prague was the venue to a two-day international conference on the helicopter initiative named HIP Helicopter Conference 2010 - Beneﬁ ts of Future Synergies in Multinational Efforts.

The Czech Republic is leading the helicopter initiative effort that is designed to help NATO tackle the lack of transport helicopters, which also arises from the fact that the helicopters many countries currently operate are not technically suited to today’s operational environments or are close to the end of their life, while acquisition of new machines is both time-consuming and costly. Along with the helicopter initiative, international trust fund was created under the lead of the United Kingdom for individual nations to provide funds in support of projects increasing the quantity of helicopters usable in operations. The trust fund helped ﬁ nance the special equipment the Czech Republic integrated on the upgraded Mi- 171Sh helicopters. “We have successfully modernised ﬁ ve Mi-171Sh helicopters and deployed three of them

1616 Czech Republic successful in addressing major NATO

in Afghanistan starting January 2010 to provide air ”It is matter of days before the U.S. ratify their accession challenge mobility for both NATO Allies and the Czech Provincial to the agreement,“ Jan Fulík unveiled. Reconstruction Team,“ Deputy Defence Minister for According to the Director of MoD Defence Policy and Foreign Affairs Jan Fulík said. Strategy Division, Mr. Ivan Dvořák, the U.S. membership in The Czech Republic is currently in position to share the initiative would bring both prestige and engagement its know-how with other NATO nations. “We are presently of world’s leading scientists, designers, pilots and offering our services to Hungary and Bulgaria,“ ground personnel, who rank among the true elite. ”At the stated Jan Fulík and added that those countries were end of the day, it may also entail the accession of other also considering deployment of their helicopters in countries,“ Dvořák said. Afghanistan, but they had not proceeded as far as the Taking place in Prague from March 2nd, 2010, the two- Czech Republic did. day conference was primarily a lesson sharing exercise The helicopter initiative the Czech Republic is leading according to Mr. Fulík. Apart from representatives of has ten members so far. Apart from V4 states, the individual nations, the conference was attended by initiative also associates big nations with large defence leading offi cials and experts of both NATO and the budgets: the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey and Norway. European Defence Agency. Jan Fulík and Ivan Dvořák agreed the conference was highly successful. They said individual contributions confi rmed that especially international cooperation on capability development was the most effective way ahead. The conference enhanced the joint effort to increase quantity of operationally usable helicopters, and outlined ways for working together to provide helicopter logistic support and training crews on international level. That effort is also supported by countries not operating Mi helicopters, but providing fi nancial contributions, training facilities or maintenance capacity to meet the common goal.

by Olga Haladová

17 g n i n

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Helicopter aircrews of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic underwent preparation for operational deployment in Afghanistan in northern Spain for three weeks in June. In the international exercise AZOR 2010, pilots from the Přerov and Náměšť Air Force Bases focused on practising operational and tactical procedures used in deployed operations, especially in ISAF. 1818 Mountains and Sand CCheckinghecking CCzechszechs

1919 g n

i A 55-member Czech Armed Forces contingent travelled to the exercise venue, the Logrono-Agoncillo n airbase in Spain, both on land (some 2,230 km from i Prague) and by air with stopover in Phalsbourg, aining a France. The flight formation comprised three Mi-171Sh r helicopters and two Mi-24/35 gunships. Aircrews T

from the Přerov and Náměšť air units comprise Czech Armed Forces personnel scheduled for deployment t in Afghanistan, specifically as a part of the third and n fourth rotation of the Czech HELI UNIT at Sharana base

e and in the Air Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) in Kabul. “The exercise is designed to train m helicopter aircrews in mountain flights and mountain y landings at elevations exceeding two thousand metres

o above sea level as well as take-offs and landings in l dusty environments both day and night with night vision and aircrews from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, p goggles - NVGs,“ says Colonel Jaromír Šebesta, the Hungary and Spain in French Alps in March 2009.

e Czech force commander, and specifies that the flight Beginning in 2011, the HTP document envisions to personnel on ”one-seven-ones” would be replaced transition to organising two exercises a year. Spain, d halfway through the exercise. ”Four aircrews slated for Italy, Sweden and Belgium have offered training areas e the third rotation will be replaced with their colleagues suitable for organising training events and Germany r from the fourth contingent manning the HELI UNIT. As volunteered to arrange the simulation exercise. “The P Predeployment Tr a matter of fact, two rehearsals for Afghanistan will focus of individual exercises should differ in order to be performed in a single helicopter exercise. I regard progressively practise as many operational procedures it a highly effective way to gain additional practical as possible. While the exercise in Spain, for instance, experience,“ COL Šebesta stated. accentuated individual aircrew training, the effort AZOR 2010 was not a Czech-only event. The Armed in Italy is to practise joint tactics, techniques and Forces of Austria, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, the procedures for support helicopters and multinational United Kingdom and Spain also sent helicopter units missions performed by various types of rotary wing with hardware for such specialised training. The grass aircraft together. ”The greatest challenge EDA seeks to apron at the Logrono-Agoncillo Main Operation Base pursue as a part of planned exercises and symposiums offered a review of A-109, AB-212, NH-90, AS-332, AS- is work to progressively do away with differences in 532 or SH3-D Sea King rotary-wing aircraft. effective national fl ight standards, rules and procedures having a potential to hamper on combined operations by JOINT PROJECT multinational formations,“ Colonel Šilhan says. AZOR 2010 International Exercise is one of the outcomes of a close cooperation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union. According to Vladimír Šilhan, a defence advisor of the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic in the European Union, the lack of operationally usable transport helicopters is one of the most critical shortfalls both NATO and EU are tackling. In addition to that, the need to upgrade the helicopter systems to standards required for operations in challenging and dangerous environments is as important as training helicopter aircrews to be able to perform such operations. “As a part division of labour between NATO the European Union, this area was assigned to the European Defence Agency (EDA) to focus its primary efforts on,“ Vladimír Šilhan specifi es and goes on to say: “The EDA Steering Board in the format of Defence Ministers of participating Member States endorsed the Helicopter Training Program (HTP) for aircrew training already in November 2009 envisioning two helicopter exercises and a specialised symposium to be held on annual basis.“ The historically fi rst multinational helicopter exercise, which was conducted in a winter environment, had taken place prior to the approval of the concept in March 2009 in French Alps with participation of helicopters 2020 With special emphasis on aircrew training, EDA runs a complementary activity – the project of tactical helicopter simulation courses (designated Interim Synthetic Helicopter Tactics Course – ISHTC), to be organised in a matter of two to three next years according to curricula and tactics taught in the United Kingdom at the UK Joint Helicopter Command. The project involves the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and Luxembourg. The European Defence Agency promised the Czech Republic to enjoy the highest priority in allocation of course slots this year with respect to its urgent operational requirements.

THE CZECH HELICOPTER GROUP San Gregorio is a training area located approximately two hundred kilometres from Logrona. Helicopter aircrews ”fl y dust“ here. Flight activities start at 9 a.m. and often last as late as till 4 a.m. In the prefl ight brief, each nation is allocated its three of four windows of the day to perform missions in its assigned territory. In a moonscape-like area, rotor blades on two one- seven-ones and one thirty-fi ver are just beginning to spin. Aircrews perform engine test and system check. Following a testing hover in ground effect to test correct powerplant performance, they take turns to overfl y to the RWY and take positions in a row. “Helicopter Group Czech ready to take off direction runway three zero,“ captain of the lead machine reports. A couple of seconds later, all of themm set off for the allocated route into one off ththee zozonesnes in tthehe llocalocal military training area. ”The number of helicopters everyy nation mamayy send to action at a timee iiss lilimitedmited to tthree.hree. herehere fforor the exercise anandd the thing is to distribute the There is a high quantitquantityy of machines operatingoperating areas amongamong ourselvesou in an optimal manner,“ ColonelColonel ŠeŠebestabesta elelaborates.abora Meanwhile, eacheac captain of the three Czech helicopters chochoses his spot and starts practising that involves sseveral repeated landings and take-offstake-offs in the dust. “Sure wwe are not going in for it without preppingprepping ourselves. Flight personnel have ppreparedr themselves for these specispecifi c activities on a consistent basisbasis according to prescribed methodologymetho and San Gregorio is onlyonly ththe fi nale. All of the pilots have alreadyalready fl own a number of exercises thatthat ssimulatedim dust back in the Czech Republic.Republic This year’s winter helped us in that sense.se There was a good quantity of powdpowdere snow, which enabled us to increase ttraining intensity. The fl ying is ververyy similar,“ statessta the commander of Czech Armed Forces helicopterhelico contingent. WhatWhat is peculiar aabout fl ying in the dust? Major RobertRobert P. offers the following description: “In the fi nal stagestage ofof landinglandin you are getting to altitude of several metres aatt a, minimum speed. The pilot still hangshangs on his referencere point on the ground andand listens forfor the instructionsin by the gunner who 2121 g n

i leans out of the door. The manoeuvre must be performed exactly according to relevant procedures. If you make n a slightest mistake, you get packed at once and you i lose visual contact with the ground. That may however a aining only last a limited period of time, generally one or two r seconds. Then the machine must safely transition T

into climb, get off the cloud and repeat landing. There is neither time for experimentation nor for waiting. t Instances of undesired contact with the ground are n frequent. Practical experience of the helicopter captain

e and a concerted effort of the whole crew onboard is what matters,“ says the experienced military pilot, who m presently fulﬁ ls operational assignment in Operation y ISAF in Afghanistan.

o To complete the picture: the aircrew performs about l two landings on average in one ﬂ ight window into dust in p various location of the Spanish training area. e

d AT NIGHT AND WITH GOGGLES e As a matter of fact, the above-mentioned example r involving a single helicopter was not the most demanding P Predeployment Tr episode in exercise AZOR 2010. Landing of a pair of Mi- 171Sh and fl ights with NVGs generated substantially higher levels of adrenalin with involved persons. On touch-down in group with both one-seven-ones going into the same spot at the same time, with fi fty- on a green background. Otherwise, it looks like spilt metre clearance between their rotors, it is necessary to milk,“ Captain Ladislav B. explains and points out follow the procedures that have a single primary focus some specificities of night operations. “The wingman – not to endanger one another with the dust cloud. must not let the lead lose, while he must observe the “Each number two seeks to land before number one. horizontal and vertical separation limits. The leader Although we have been training it all week long, there always has to keep in mind that he has the second is no stereotype, because every landing is unique. We machine at his back and manoeuvre accordingly. We also practise that one machine lands into the dust and go together at 450 feet above the ground that has the other one provides cover from the air before possible a completely different profile than in the Czech Republic enemy fi re. Although lessons our colleagues in the fi rst and it is therefore critical to perform all actions with and second rotation in Afghanistan learnt conclude that double precision. The intake of dust at night is much they mostly land on paved areas, we must be ready for all bigger than at day. The use of helicopter lights is also contingencies. While little mistakes may creep in here in critical. If you get into a cloud, all the light emitted by San Gregorio, it is not acceptable at Sharana. We must the chopper is reflected into the goggles and reduces be in the right place at the right time,“ pilots of the 23rd its effectiveness,“ states squadron chief navigator, Helicopter Air Force Base say in unison. for whom the HELI UNIT in Afghanistan is already the After familiarisation flights at day, two Mi-171Sh fourth foreign tour. aircrews are up for night flights using NVGs. “There is a big difference between flying at day and at night. DUST LIKE SNOW Everything is based on the light conditions: if they are good, pilots see near real-world picture in NVGs in grey San Gregorio is the premiere event for the pilots of thirty-fivers from Náměšť to fly in sandy environment. Some of them have already been through flying in French mountain environment, but they have to gain additional experience prior to their upcoming deployment as an OMLT team. “Regarding the conditions they will be performing their mission in whilst in Afghanistan, we must get the simulation as real as possible. In the Czech Republic, we are able to get as high as thirteen hundred metres, and here we fly from two up to three kilometres above sea level. And those are standard flight operation altitudes for the Air OMLT flight effort. Areas around the Santa Cilia for mountain flying and in vicinity of San Gregorio airbase for dusty flights in Spain are very close to reality on the ground in Afghanistan,“ 22 respect to the Czech helicopter contribution to ISAF, ISAF the associated priorities and requirements for training in dusty and mountain environments, we negotiated the possibility to send fi fty-fi ve personnel and fi ve helicopters for the exercise from the Czech Republic.“ It was important for organising the logistic support that NATO and EU procedures and standards were already “very close“ to each other and it was not a problem to coordinate with NATO nations’ and EU member states’ armed forces’ offi cers. “There is a single standard form for logistic support used throughout the NATO Alliance. A new form was specifi cally created here at Logrono, which did not differ substantially from the NATO form, so it was neither diffi cult nor time-consuming to fi ll them concludes Major Petr Juračka, who has already served in,“ Major Dostalík expands. one four-month tour at the Kabul International Airport. The advantage for supporting the Czech helicopter Although procedures used for landing in sand and unit was that Spain, acting as the host nation, provided in dust are nearly identical, the experienced pilot of a number of support elements. “We only moved in basic the 221st helicopter Squadron is happy with any fl ight materiel, necessary helicopter spare parts and essential conducted. “We have drilled landings in snow back in the provisions to provide full maintenance and service,“ the Czech Republic, but whilst here, helicopter captains are logistician adds. able to check on their own in many instances whether In terms of supporting the involved units logistically, their chosen way would lead them to a touch-down in the the Czech unit’s participation in the AZOR 2010 dust or not. They can see immediately whether they have international exercise reconfi rmed that storing and mastered it or not. Either they land safely on the ground transporting necessary materiel using containers was or they have to take the helicopter out of the dust cloud the right way ahead. “We will again seek to initiate using instruments. It does not really matter whether you procurement of containers and suitable boxes ensuring complete ten or twelve landings in an hour; the key is an a safe storage of movement-sensitive materiel,“ MAJ effective sequence of action.“ Dostalík says. Containers for storing and transportation are a standard in many NATO and EU member states, BRILLIANT LOGISTIC SUPPORT which was also proven in the AZOR 2010 international helicopter exercise. Offi cers in charge of logistic support, whose mission was to ensure that helicopter aircrews and technical by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka personnel had all provisions necessary, were largely photos by Jan Kouba involved in preparing for the exercise already from the initial planning conference. Major Tobiáš Dostalík, who has a long-standing experience with coordinating logistic support to helicopter units, has been involved in all key phases of preparations. “Preparations for the exercise have been underway already from December last year, when initial discussions took place in Brussels. According to initial exercise intent, the attendance on the exercise was to involve nine nations with nearly fi fty helicopters and eight hundred personnel in total,“ said Major Dostalík at the Spanish airbase and commented on the Czech participation: ”At the main planning conference held already here at Logroňo, we were told that our limit would be fi fty personnel and three helicopters. With 23 g n i

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The Czech representative at the NATO Headquarters charged with crisis management is Mr. Miroslav Šedý. He engaged in CM back in the Czech Republic and continues to do so now as a defence attaché of the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic in NATO at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. ”I carry on pursuing the same issues as in my previous capacities; the difference is that the current range of issues is broader and on a more senior level. For instance, it encompasses nuclear planning and cyber defence, not from national MoD, but from international perspective,“ Miroslav Šedý says and specifi es the targets of his activity. “In a slight overstatement, I would refer to myself as an information service for the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in NATO. I prepare current positions and proposals primarily for the ambassador regarding possible activities the Czech Republic would take to resolve military crisis situations. My duties naturally involve acting in several specialist working groups in the International Staff. I consult positions and documents with offi cials of the Czech Ministry of Defence, primarily with the MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division.“ THE CZECH INPUT Thanks to openness of the Czech defence advisor, it is possible to take a peak behind scenes. “Any idea to be pushed through demands a broader support on the plenum. It cannot be just a blind shot; that is not the name of the game here. In reality, it entails approving position by colleagues representing other nations, no matter whether you achieve it through several days’ presentation of the issue in a conference room or during a coffee chat. It is solely up to you to win allies over to your side. In a way, it is about diplomatic skills of the offi cer in 2424 To complete the picture, it should be noted that the manual is not a constant document. Following on new threats, it operatively responds with adequate measures. The Czech defence advisor rejects the objection that it may perhaps be too much theory and too little practice. “In case of emergency, we have such arrangements in place that guarantee delivery of the most effective aid. At the point when domestic rescuer is no longer able to manage the emergency, we will put his foreign colleagues next to him to help him cope.“

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by Radko Janata

question,“ Miroslav Šedý explains and states that the subject matter area where the Czech Republic is able to offer most to the Alliance is the defence against weapons of mass destruction (CBRN defence). “The recent NATO Summit endorsed a policy document defi ning NATO priorities in this subject matter area for the upcoming period. Our proposals will be integrated into individual nations’ crisis management plans. The papers also bear the CZ hallmark,“ the defence advisor relishes. Another example is the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence based in Vyškov, Czech Republic, and established July 1st, 2006, as a NATO training centre. ”Not everybody realises that the Vyškov centre is NATO’s principal expert advisor on CBRN defence. It is indeed the fi rst NATO institution on multinational basis to be located in the Czech Republic’s territory,“ emphasises M. Šedý and adds that by building and operating the centre, certifi ed by Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, U.S., the Czech Republic delivers its commitments to enhance NATO nations’ defences. NATO MODEL OPERATION Emergencies know no borders. In case an emergency cannot be managed using local forces and assets, it is possible to request international aid, including from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. ”Preparedness of NATO crisis management bodies is regularly tested by the means of procedural exercises conducted in fi ctive geopolitical environment in a fi ctive state territory and most frequently they seek to improve security situation of citizens in given country. Training is done real-time using a scenario with highly likely emergency and without actually deploying troops. The model operation is preceded by several planning conferences of involved bodies and agencies, including international humanitarian organisations,“ our host says and points out the key crisis response manual – the NCRS: NATO Crisis Response System. ”It is a manual assigning code designations to crisis situations with subsequent measures to be taken to manage the emergency successfully. This ‘cook book‘ is valid for all NATO nations,“ he says and adds that each of the nations contributes its part to the resolution of the crisis while declaring its time limits within which its national assigned forces and assets are able to deploy. 2525 y t i r u c e S

l a n o i t a n r rnational Security e t n I Inte CCaringaring fforor SSecurityecurity aandnd CCooperationooperation

TheThe conceconceptionption qquiteuite a considerable ppartart of the public have of the OrganizationOrganization for SecuritSecurityy and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) may bbe rather th bibiased d and d incomplete. It is the world’s largest regional intergovernmental organisation that focuses on security issues and associates 56 states, thereby occupying a prominent position in the European security architecture, next to other international organisations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the European Union and the United Nations. The personnel serving at the OSCE also include employees of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic.

A neat building in Penzingerstrasse No. 11–13 in Vienna houses both the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN, OSCE and other international organisations. One of the organisational components here is the military advisors section, presently with a staff of two: Colonel Lubor Koudelka and Mr. Vladimír Krška. Both these 2626 employees of the MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Jordan, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and Australia,“ the Division were sent into Vienna for a three-year tour chief of military advisors section explains. associated with activities in OSCE. ”Advisories, positions He underscores that the Czech Republic regards OSCE and recommendations they develop are fully professional. an important part of European security architecture and Those are highly erudite professional opinions that I can supporting the OSCE activities is a high priority of the lean on during the discussions I am involved in,“ relishes Czech Republic’s foreign policy. the Head of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic Responsibilities of Lubor Koudelka, for whom Austria to the UN, OSCE and other international organisations, is the third service tour abroad after Liberia and Iraq, Ambassador Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová, and include deliberations associated with Conventional adds: ”The Czech MoD sent very experienced and high- Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE-T) and Open Skies Treaty quality experts here and I highly appreciate that. I fi nd (OST). cooperation with them absolutely seamless.“ “The CFE-T, which provided the basis for decommissioning an immense quantity of selected FIFTY-SIX SIGNATORIES kinds of conventional weapons in Europe, builds on three preventive steps – limitation of arms quantity, an “In the political-military fi eld, the OSCE activities information exchange system and verifi cation system, primarily focus on confi dence building and strengthening that is checking correctness of provided information in security cooperation among member states, including the form of inspections,“ he states and points out that arms control and disarmament,“ Col. Lubor Koudelka the Russian Federation suspended all measures of the describes the mission of the international security effective and legally binding CFE Treaty two years ago organisation that mostly associates European countries. with its single-purpose law, which in practise means “Apart from states in Europe, those include Caucasian, non-providing of Russian exchange information and not Central Asian and the United States of America and accepting inspections in the Russian territory. Canada. Besides signatories, OSCE activities also “Other CFE-T signatories presently seek the ways out involve the input from so-called Mediterranean and of this complicated situation caused by the unilateral Asian cooperation partners, including Egypt, Israel, and legally very disputable step Russia took,“ Col. Koudelka. Contrarily, effective relations prevail in connection with the second document, also legally binding Open Skies Treaty, which currently sees the participation of 34

27 y t i r u c e S

l a n o i t a state parties (the former Czechoslovakia ratiﬁ ed OST in Obviously, any discussions military or defence n

r rnational Security 1992 and Czech Republic has an obligation under OST to advisors are involved in at the OSCE must be preceded by accept on its territory up to four observation ﬂ ights a year a demanding preparation. e

t and request as many observation ﬂ ights over other states’ “An in-depth knowledge of OSCE documents and territories). “Aerial monitoring is costly. It is not affordable treaties, including amendments, is the minimum basis n

I Inte for every signatory to operate its own observation airplane, for participation in discussions,“ Lubor Koudelka says. which is also the Czech experience. Current discussions ”Another level of skill is the art of compromise, in OSCE also entertain the creation of a joint observation because all OSCE decisions are adopted on the basis aircraft fl eet to be used by mutliple state parties,“ the of consensus and, apart from CFE-T and OST related head of military advisors section expands. decisions, do not constitute legal obligation, but political commitment. Trust me: this is not easy in the format of DELIBERATIONS fi fty-six countries. Disapproval by one of the signatories may block any IN THE HOFBURG PALACE decision. Some states do not hesitate to use the so- Thanks to openness of involved parties, there is called veto. In order for us to make progress then, it is a unique opportunity to visit the OSCE headquarters in essential to act prudently, which often entails a highly Vienna. The scene is set by the former Imperial Palace, challenging process of negotiation. Including for these today premises housing the seat of the President of reasons, it is not possible to radically push own positions Austria - the Hofburg. A part of the large premises in all circumstances.“ there, specifi cally the Congress Center, has been made available to the OSCE. Having fulfi lled security requirements, we may take a look inside the main conference hall of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and several bilateral rooms. ”We have optimal provisions here in Hofburg for all working meetings,“ Col. Koudelka explains and specifi es that issues relating to CFE-T implementation are deliberated usually once week in the session of the Joint Consultative Group (JCG) and relevant decisions associated with OST are taken once a month in the format of the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC). In addition to deliberations, there are countless additional meetings to coordinate joint positions, or indeed practical measures by NATO nations or European Union Member States.

2828 This begs the question: this or that OSCE treaty is military, but also technology developments have taken endorsed by the state parties and it is incumbent upon place in this field since then. It is therefore essential to all signatories to meet the obligations, so what is the embrace reality and consider upgrading them in some problem? “One thing is to sign the treaty; its practical instances. implementation is a different story. As a matter of That is what is deliberated in Vienna: how to lay fact, ten years plus have passed from signing of some down maximum reciprocity possible in providing and of the key OSCE documents and not only political and obtaining defi ned information from other State Parties. But everything must always be based on the principle of fulfi lling the existing commitments and duties fi rst and only then proceed to undertaking new commitments and measures, which may be a problem in certain instances, especially with a view to the lack of political will some State Parties display,“ Lubor Koudelka concludes. The head of military advisors sections is not willing to discuss the tactics followed in attaining consensus. He rather switches to personal experience. “Any work in international environments brings new lessons. Moreover, it is the question of a broad multinational span in Vienna. At the table, you meet representatives of countries you would defi nitely not encounter at NATO or EU headquarters in Brussels. Their opinions on the promotion of collective security and/or reestablishment of stability and peace in war zones are very unique and original indeed. As a representative of the Czech Republic, I am particularly pleased that in the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Czech Republic is regarded a reliable partner and signatory meeting all its duties under adopted international treaties. The Czech Republic is a respected OSCE Member State and the MoD component of the Permanent Mission in Vienna tries to contribute its humble part to that,“ concludes Colonel Lubor Koudelka.

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by Marie Křížová 29 y t i r u c

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i Although the military advisor of the Permanent nevertheless what you wanted. Moreover, the course of t Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN, OSCE and other action taken must be frequently coordinated with the

a international organisations, Mr. Vladimír Krška, has European Union and NATO member states.“ not even been through one-third of his tour in Vienna, Regional communities of signatories are not an n

r rnational Security he deﬁ nitely does not show any novice-like shyness in unwritten rule in negotiation at OSCE. ”Besides deliberating European security and cooperation issues. representatives of European countries at large, there e

t Mr. Krška is an erudite defence expert in international are representatives behind the table of Caucasian and law and a true professional with experience from two Central Asian states, the United States of America and n

I Inte tours in observer missions in Angola. He is therefore able Canada as well as so-called Mediterranean and Asian to put his experience to an effective use in deliberations partners for cooperation. But it is not about territorial with representatives of fi fty-six State Parties of the solidarity here. Confi dence building and development of Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe security cooperation among the state parties must take (OSCE). ”I know from my previous service experience place across the board,“ states the military advisor and how challengin it may often be to fi nd common ground notes that all state parties have the same status and on a legal or military-security issues with the other party decisions are taken unanimously. in bilateral relation. In OSCE halls, however, you pursue security and cooperation issues, including arms control FOCUS ON ARMS and disarmament, in a much broader international forum. There are substantially more opinions on matters at hand, Functional areas falling into the basket of Mr. Vladimír and so it is much more diffi cult to achieve consensus,“ Krška include arms control and disarmament as well as Vladimír Krška says and describes negotiation tactics. broader matters of confi dence and security building “The key is what you want to achieve on a given subject (CSBMs: Confi dence and Security Building Measures). - that drives your negotiating strategy. Depending The platform for discussing, but primarily proposing and on situation, you decide whether you elect to make coordinating issues associated with the above topics, is concession on your side in exchange for a concession on their part, or you raise a strongly overstated proposal, from which you progressively withdraw to achieve

3030 the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC), established security activities are also realised through Field as an independent OSCE decision-making body in 1992. Missions Missions (FM). “Those are located in four “Regarding the process of arms control and disarmament, regions of the OSCE area: in the Balkans, in Eastern one of the basic pillars of European security, the Czech Europe, in South Caucasus and in Central Asia. The Republic consistently meets all of its commitments and largest OSCE Field Mission presently operates in the duties under international disarmament treaties and territory of Kosovo,“ Mr. Krška specifies and adds that agreements developed as a part of OSCE,“ states Mr. FM responsibilities include both aid in developing civic Krška, adding that several key agreements were sealed society, support to democratisation efforts, rule of under the OSCE auspices that have largely contributed, law and human rights as well as training local police, especially at the end of the Cold War, but later on as well, customs officers and border guard. It should be noted to maintaining security on the European continent. FSC that responsibilities of the two military advisors to the meets regularly once a week in some of the conference Czech Permanent Mission in Vienna are discussions halls of the former Hofburg Imperial Palace with the related to three treaties (the Conventional Forces in timing of the session being determined by the forum Europe Treaty, Open Skies Treaty and Vienna Document presiding country. The presidency rotates on four-month 1999), which in a way complement one another and basis among the state parties and the FSC resolves in set obligations for OSCE member states regarding the form of so-called decisions. numbers of conventional weapons, the scope of exchanging military information and verification of SPECIFIC PROJECTS AS WELL how commitments are met. In reality, that also means that member states are obliged to accept so-called Activities of the Organisation for Security and verification visits at military units and facilities, and Cooperation in Europe may appear as a “big theory“. That inspections into assigned areas in their territories. is not the case because there are concrete measures There have been very intensive discussions in recent underpinning a whole number of projects. “From my years on possible modernisation of some VD-99 measures responsibilities, let me mention the projects disposing to reﬂ ect political-military developments. “Some surplus small arms and light weapons or surplus stock of signatories only want cosmetic changes, while others conventional munitions the OSCE has realised primarily propose a major modernisation of the document. Issues in Eastern Europe, on the Caucasus and in Central Asia. of implementing the Vienna Document 1999 are pursued It is an important activity, as UN statistics show abusing as a part of the Forum for Security Cooperation. My small arms kills about seven hundred and forty thousand primary domain is the development of specialist technical people worldwide yearly; even more alarming is the factor positions,“ the Czech military advisor Vladimír Krška that nearly half a million victims are people in countries explains. not suffering from local conﬂ icts. In other words, it accounts for two-thirds of people by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka killed in no war zones,“ the military advisor says. OSCE photos by Marie Křížová 3131 WITH THE SUPPORT OF NAMSA − NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency INVITATION On 14th -16 th October 2010, the Czech Republic will be hosting the second FUTURE SOLDIER Exhibition and Conference in Prague at the PVA Exhibition centre. Officials and Industry attending will be able to meet relevant procurement staffs from most NATO nations' armed forces, Partnership for Peace program and the Mediterranean Dialogue countries, dealing with military field equipment and personal equipment items. This exhibition follows very successful events such as the NATO CCPE 2000 Prague, NATO Exhibition Slovakia CCIE 2003 and FUTURE SOLDIER Czech Republic 2008. It is now organised under the auspices of the National Armaments Director of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic.

PARTICIPANTS The FUTURE SOLDIER exhibition concept is highly focused, attracting the attendance of subject matter specialists in defence and standardisation. It is attended by representatives of national acquisition centers, industry, research agencies and accademia from NATO and PfP nations, as well as Mediterranean Dialogue countries. Other international countries with developments in soldier technologies are also warmly invited to attend. The private and public sector are able to come together to appreciate the ever more demanding requirements for modern military equipment involving innovation, technology trends, interoperability, and operational readiness.

• Operational and protective • C4I management and clothing structures • Body armour • Non-lethal weapons and • Load carriage riot control • CBRN protection and • Power sources personal detection • Friend and foe • Common communications recognition systems • Simulation and virtual • Electro optical sighting reality for training and vision • Battlefield/Infrastructure • Digital mapping and support equipment, situation awareness shelters, logistics • Personal weapon systems • Digital Battlefield

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE g n i n i

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Some 460 service personnel of the Armed Force of the Czech Republic have completed a three-week special training exercise prior to their deployment in Afghanistan in large areas of the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre (JMRC) training facility located nearby Hohenfels, Germany.

Named Combat Maneuver 2010, the US Army training Jan Hlaváč, the chief of Land Forces Training Branch area was the venue to one of the biggest exercises to of the Czech Joint Force Command, and highlights the involve Czech soldiers in recent years. Around four mutual professional benefi t. “The U.S. and Czech units hundred and sixty professionals, mostly from the 7th on the exercise were getting into highly realistic combat Mechanised Brigade, primarily focused on fi ne-tuning situations. Our junior commanders were able to discuss procedures in search operations, fi ghting in built-up planning processes and tactical procedures with their areas, countering improvised explosive devices and peers while soldiers compared their level of readiness. It providing convoy security together with US Army forces. was an effective confrontation that generated a number In other words, they prepared for their upcoming missions of valuable lessons.“ in International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the territory of Afghanistan. ”One hundred and fi fty members AFGHANI (DIS)ILLUSION of the 71st Mechanised Battalion, who will form the core of the Czech Armed Forces 6th Provincial Reconstruction “The project of renewing irrigation system connected Team in Logar from August 2010 till February next with repairing the local dam commenced in 2008 and year, underwent training in JMRC Hohenfels“ states is planned for completion in 2011,“ reports the chief Commander 7th Mechanised Brigade Colonel Ivo Střecha of CIMIC group, Lieutenant Miroslav Tomiczek to the and says that additional three hundred and ten soldiers Commander 6th PRT Task Force Lieutenant-Colonel Ctirad of the 7th Mechanised Brigade, specifi cally of the Gazda and goes into detail: ”Realisation of individual 74th Light Motorised Battalion and 72nd Mechanised phases involves a number of small Afghani enterprises in Battalion, also passed specialist preparation together the Kandahar province; we have contracted the necessary with the US Army 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment for their quantity of vocational specialists and we seek a larger planned operational deployment in Afghanistan in 2012. involvement of local authorities in this phase.“ Lieutenant “Besides joint patrols and most varied incidents, Czech Gazda follows closely studying the map of the Kandahar soldiers also simulated operations of an Afghan National province to get updated before the upcoming meeting Army (ANA) Brigade on operations,“ specifi es Colonel with local leaders and U.S. representatives. Commander 3434 6th Task Force rechecks all necessary documentation and quickly turns to Lieutenant Tomiczek: ”Stand close by during the press conference with Afghani press. If necessary, I will hand over to you for specifi c questions.“ Although the Kandahar province is thousands kilometres away from the Hohenfels training area, the illusion of an Afghani environment is unbelievably realistic and sophisticated to the fi nest level of detail. That is facilitated by constructed villages, including mosques and typical Afghani marketplaces, but also Afghani women in blue burqas strolling the streets. Helping to set the stage for exercise Combat Maneuver 2010, there were nearly thousand supernumeraries of various colours of skin, age, religion and gender. As many of the 6th Task Force personnel confi rmed for us, American instructors intended “military operations to have an Afghani face“. The only difference for the Czech PRT service personnel on their predeployment prep in Hohenfels is that they will operate in the Logar province while on the exercise they were to operate in the Kandahar province. “We have been gaining in-depth familiarity with the situation in Logar from September last year; it was not a problem for us to refocus on the Kandahar province in four days,“ the chief of staff Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Zezula puts us into the picture and adds: ”Perhaps the only major difference is that there is a worse security situation in the Kandahar province. Other activities are nearly identical, including the focus of reconstruction projects underway with involvement of both civilian experts and CIMIC personnel. Simply put: names change, players change, but the system of work remains.“ One of the primary mission of the force protection company with commander Captain Martin Hajduch on

3535 g n

i it is therefore reasonable to expect that the meeting will go without complications. n

i Despite disturbed by a bunch of “local“ rioters,

a initial moments of the meeting do not show any signs of

r problems; the commander sits down, or rather kneels

T down and the agenda may go forward. However, several

t seconds on, soldiers monitoring the surrounding area are deafened by an explosion and cries of the injured n are heard at once. One of the members of the Afghani e National Police had a covert explosive device on his body, which he detonated. There are two fatalities on m the scene and two heavily injured persons. The following y seconds and minutes are already played according to o a different scenario – in line with the trained standard l operation procedure. Securing the area, calling rapid p the exercise was to provide a safe transport of persons response team from the base, loading fatalities, casualty

e to attend the meeting of local leaders, the so-called treatment and evacuation are all taking place before the

d Shura. eyes of omnipresent Observer Controllers (OCs), who Along with the Czech troops, we are getting on U.S. watch for the level of preparedness and assess action e

r humvees and set off for the meeting venue. We make taken by soldiers in review covering all stages. several stops on our way leading through enclosed and The aim of such in-depth prepared and staged exercise P Predeployment Training broken terrain. episodes is to create an illusion of operating in real A hoarse voice on the radio often repeats the “check, Afghani environment and prevent possible disillusion on check“ command. Soldiers immediately begin searching deployment in the Logar or Kandahar province. the ambient terrain and convoy surroundings. The reason for an unplanned stop this time is an immobile vehicle A specifi c task was assigned to professionals from the standing in the way of our convoy. But it may be an 73rd and 74th battalion. They became Afghan soldiers ambush as well. The commander orders the vehicle to be for three weeks. In white camoufl age suits marked with checked. But it proves very diffi cult to talk with an Afghani high-visibility ANA inscription and with unshaved faces, man, who moreover gestures confusedly. Fortunately, they played the role Afghan National Army, a brigade the incident ended up in mutual understanding and the headquarters (BDE HQ ANA) and its subordinate four convoy gets moving again. battalions (kandaks). “They are no extras, but real The commander gets the information that the area has planning, unit training and joint operations. Only in already been monitored by the Afghani National Police; a different uniform,“ specifi es the commander of the ANA

3636 brigade, General Koushan Fahim Sagana, in reality the to be received by warfi ghters of Lieutenant-Colonel commander of the 74th Light Motorised Battalion Tomáš Karim Ulshah Parwiz, in reality Captain Miroslav Šiler and with all due dignity he publishes his assigned Smolka, commander of the 1st Infantry Company the biography including details from his “other“ life. 74th Light Motorized Battalion. ”Our operation tempo Despite having a meeting with (non)real governors of has been intensive and there are really no downtimes. the Kandahar and Zabul provinces coming up in minutes, Kandak personnel form ten to fi fteen member patrols to he gave us a briefi ng about his unit. “In my basket, I have monitor areas of interest together with US forces. Night all brigade staff elements and four kandaks, represented operations with the use of night vision devices are no by four infantry companies of the Czech Armed Forces, exception. Hohenfels is a great experience for us. with sixty eight personnel each. Two of them are stationed It is the fi rst time for us to be in such environment at camps in Hohenfels and the other two operate in the and in such situations. Counting in the diffi cult climatic Grafenwoehr training area. In addition to weapons and conditions, we are sustaining a heavy load. But it is equipment we use on regular basis, we have been given defi nitely a drill that will defi nitely pay,“ CAPT Smolka or nine Humvees,“ Gen. Sagana states and unveils the LTC Parwiz says. course of events to come. “The Americans requested that we operated as we do on standard basis from our by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka peacetime station, which is combat patrolling to platoon photos by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka level. We performed to our training standards. The initial and the 7th Mechanised Brigade phase sought to harmonise procedures employed by the units on exercise. Then we jointly performed a broad range of operations according to a pre-planned scenario, with various crisis situations played from our future area of deployment. Everything is recorded on cameras that are everywhere and is reviewed afterwards.“ Phone ringing interrupts the commander’s talk. The commander’s ADC taps his watch indicating for us the time is up. Before we get out of the staff building though, we catch the General’s annoyed voice. In a severe tone, he expresses his momentary discontent to American colleagues. No wonder: everything is played out to the maximum level of details. A couple of minutes later, somewhat relaxed, Koushan Fahim Sagana permits us to visit the staff of 1st kandak. After ninety minutes’ drive, spiced with several ”mishaps”, we arrive Camp East 3737 s n o i t JJourneyourney ttoo MillieMillie PayghamPaygham a r

e Radio is the most frequently used and most popular source of information in

p Afghanistan. We set off to see one of the most popular radio stations with the

O soldiers of the Czech 3rd Mobile Observation Team.

d e y o l p e D Deployed Operations

Escorting civilian and military experts, the third Mobile Observation Team (MOT) of the 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent have embarked on a journey much longer than in common patrolling operations. ”We are heading for a location over forty kilometres away, through diffi cult terrain and we will be passing several critical points. Very thorough planning was therefore required as a part of preparations. Moreover, it is the fi rst time for the 5th contingent to go into that area and the situation has defi nitely changed since our predecessors has visited the place last time,“ says Warrant Offi cer 1 Jirka, in command of a Humvee. We get moving and the journey through Logar just turning green in the Spring goes quite fast. The fi rst complication awaits us in the Tanji Wadjan pass. Directly in front of us an accident has occurred involving a truck with semitrailer and the traffi c is paralysed in both directions. Soldiers began activities they have drilled and gunners in turrets closely watch the surroundings. ”Situations like these pose a potential security risk. The Taleban frequently employ the tactics of blocking road traffi c by intentional or staged accidents and attacking ambushed coalition forces that have a limited possibility of manoeuvring and defending,“ WO1 Michal puts us in the picture, directing the convoy movement from the vehicle heading it. Thankfully, Afghani police offi cers were able to organise traffi c in about twenty minutes’ time and our convoy sets off again towards its destination. The radio station uphill is visible quite from a distance. Arriving closer, we are fi nding out the planned route is not viable and we have to choose another way. The patrol 3838 leaves the main road and elects to go across the fi eld. There is only a larger stream to cross. Soldiers from the fi rst vehicle inspect the small bridge and assess its loadbearing capacity. “The bridge is clear, load-bearing suffi cient, width tolerance is in centimetres,“ they report. Now it is up to drivers to show their skills. ”The problem here is the big approach angle, because when the front lifts what I am able to see is only the horizon. I have to have the vehicle aligned by then and the only mark for me to follow are the hands of the soldier guiding me,“ explains sergeant Mirek after pulling up on the other side. It was a bit tougher job for him – he is driving

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l a Dingo, which is wide like, but heavier and higher than

p Humvee.

e Now we could already easily drive up to the top, but the whole convoy would turn around there. The commander, D Deployed Operations Lieutenant Lukáš, orders that we dismounted and we are setting off for a 150-metre uphill walk under the protection of the 3rd MOT. The weapon team climbs ahead of us to take positions before we approach the gate of the radio station. Millie Paygham (National Message) radio ranks among the oldest in the province – it has broadcast for seven years already. The Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team has done a great job here in recent years. The PRT helped build a protective wall around the radio station, provides fi nancial assistance on acquisition of technical equipment, CDs and refurbishing and renovating the inside. The PRT is also involved in development of some radio programs – for example for local farmers. Simply an Afghani DIY. qualities of our reporters thereby increasing quality of The head of the local radio station thanked Czechs our service,“ outlines the radio director the vision of for possibility to have one of the reporters last year future cooperation. for internship in Radio Free Europe in Prague and for Further discussions between PRT civilian reconstruction the their support. ”Competition starts to grow, and we experts and radio offi cials covered the radio’s future therefore welcome opportunities to improve professional development and its equipment. Additional specifi c

4040 descend to our vehicles. The Czech vehicles are already amidst hordes of children waving at us. At a distance, they are showing pictures they managed to draw using pencils of our colleagues waiting in the meantime. A worried mother asks for her son to be treated. One of the medics (there is a medic on every vehicle) quickly opens his kit. The youngster has an open and infl amed wound on his fi nger. Medic Pavel cleaned the wound, treated it and added instructions how to take care of the injury. Leaving heartily waving and shouting kids behind, vehicles slowly form the convoy. Our way back to the base was without problems and unexpected surprises. Getting off vehicles back at the camp and saying good bye to our protectors of the 3rd MOT, we know their job is not over yet. They are up to after-action review, maintenance of weapons, equipment and vehicles. Only then the much wished-for relax time comes. Simply a day in the life of an cooperation projects begin to take shape. They are MOT-man 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent in Logar. important, because communicating unbiased information on developments in the province is a prerequisite for by Captain Petr Šiler, future development of Afghani society. Press and Information Offi cer, Time is relentless. Two hours have passed quickly and 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent PRT Logar, the Czech patrol has to return. After a warm farewell, we Operation ISAF

4141 O T A N AArchitectsrchitects ooff IInternationalnternational g n i

c RRelationselations u d o r t n I Introducing NATO On the eighteenth day of June, the British base in Rheindahlen was the venue to a ceremony marking the closedown of the Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and its subsequent relocation into the United Kingdom. The ceremony’s proﬁ le was raised by presence of prominent guests headed by the member of the British Royal Family, Princess Ann, the ﬁ rstborn daughter of Queen Elisabeth. On behalf of the Czech Republic, Major-General Petr Pavel, the Czech National Military Representative in SHAPE, attended the ceremony.

“Audentis Fortuna Iuvat“, Latin for “fortune favours information and he must be able to find the way ahead the bold“, is the inscription on the seal of Allied Rapid in the field. Reaction Corps (ARRC) that reports directly to the “I serve here at the G9 CIMIC branch and my mission Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Headquarters is to ensure cooperation in case of deploying into an ARRC is currently in the process of moving from its area of possible confl ict, including interaction with standing premises nearby Rheindahlen, Germany, major international and national governmental and into the United Kingdom, to be stationed at an ex-RAF base nearby the city of Gloucester northwest to London starting August this year. ”The United Kingdom decided to redeploy its forces back to the home territory and since the local command headquarters reports to the United Kingdom and Brits form sixty per cent of the service personnel here, it is obvious that other nations involved in the ARRC are also moving to the base at Innsworth“, explained Lieutenant-Colonel Mojmír Jančík, senior national representative of the Czech Republic in HQ ARRC, while still in Rheindahlen. The primary task LTC Jančík currently has is to make sure everything is transferred correctly: including service materiel, such as documents, computers, equipment and weapons, but also his closest, the wife and daughters. Apart from responsibilities at HQ ARRC, the job of the senior national representative is mostly the same here – he supports the Czech Republic’s national interest and associated tasks at the international command headquarters. He is also frequently in a new environment, often initiates new contacts, plus he looks for new links, sources of 4242 nongovernmental organisations that have operated or solve concrete problems or future confl icts, which could will be operating there,“ describes his job the Czech arise in the area of operations and have the potential representative in the CIMIC team and adds: ”Simply put, of hampering not only those civilian organisation, but my job is to build an architecture of mutual relations of especially us, the military, our commanders who have or organisation involved and participating in the effort while will be deployed here to perform their specifi c missions seseekingekiing to preventprevent ccononfl iic icts,ts, anand,dd,, iinn cacasese ttheyhey do ooccur,ccur, to carrying out drafted or already approved plans.“ However, to build the architecture of links and contacts among partners separated not only by distances among their headquarters, their focus, as well various degrees of mobility, manner of fi nancing, and areas of interest, is oftentimes a challenging mission that requires very good communication skills, the art of persuading people, and naturally patience, prudence and ability to foresee. A mention should also be made that patience and prudence are severely limited by one critical factor: Lieutenant-Colonel Jančík must be able to deploy to any area of operations worldwide on any continent fi ve days’ notice and operate there for the period of six months at the same time. In the CIMIC branch at HQ ARRC, LTC Jančík meets his colleagues on daily basis. Nevertheless, the nine- member team differs somewhat from other branches and teams. “We are a more international component,“ Lieutenant-Colonel Jančík explains the specifi ty and adds some statistics. “There are sixty percent Brits on the base plus fourteen nations including the Czech Republic. But the CIMIC team only comprises three Brits and representatives of Portugal, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Our powers are 4343 O

T Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Committee

A of the Red Cross (ICRC), Ofﬁ ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and many N

others. ”We stay in touch; we know each other’s roles,

g missions and potential for cooperation in the event of necessary conﬂ ict management anywhere on the globe. n

i Not only a range of workshops and conferences, but

c especially international exercises, namely ARRCADE FUSION with every-year participation of the Czech CBRN u Defence Brigade in Liberec, help us get to know each d other better. The scenarios are based on real-world

o lessons from operational deployments, presently mainly

r from Afghanistan, Africa and other regions.“ t The advantage is that development of scenarios for

n those international exercises involves military and civilian I Introducing NATO experts with personal operational experience from existing confl icts and crises. “That body of experience is what we build on developing scenarios for mutual assistance. A high premium is currently placed on so-called hybrid operations that combine elements of warfi ghting with civilian support tasks (humanitarian, reconstruction, training), as well as refugee and non-combatant aid tasks. The manifold nature of emerging confl icts coupled with specifi city of their management entails the need to be ready for dozens of potential scenarios.“ In addition to that, there is one more critical aspect the CIMIC personnel including Lieutenant-Colonel Jančík have to ensure: they must keep military forces and civilian organisations staying out of each other’s way in the area of interest. “My task is to set up a bridge, indeed a system of bridges to transfer information to make sure both the military and civilian institutions will achieve their goals without injuring one another.“ Lessons learnt especially in Afghanistan prove that collaboration of military and civilian components must be very sensitive, notably for the need to ensure security both for civilian population for the civilian

defi ned explicitly. The principal element here at G9 are the planners, who must be able to comprehensively plan envisioned operations, or prepare essential documents in the instance of exercises, primarily regarding current assessment of humanitarian situations based on information from the civilian sector. My task is to develop the architecture of relations and contacts with the civilian organisations, gain essential information on international governmental and nongovernmental organisations, and, in case needed, to make sure cooperation is coordinated, especially in the contingency of sudden humanitarian crisis.“ Already in peacetime, just such information drives the creation of the puzzle that forms the nascent architecture; it forms the backbone of necessary ties and contacts to be fl eshed out. As a matter of fact, one cannot wait in vain until a confl ict generates or situation aggravates in problematic or risk area. Contacts, mostly personal ones, with offi cials of the involved non-military organisations and partners are something CIMIC personnel need to have down to a fi ne art. We need to have established closest contacts with major actors, such as the World Food Program (WFP), Offi ce for the Coordination of 4444 organisations themselves. They must not be endangered by the suspicion of cooperating with military forces for instance by soldiers delivering humanitarian aid from civilian agencies in high-threat areas. Contrarily, civilian organisations must be kept aware of areas where they should not engage or temporarily restrict their activity. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Jančík, the trend with soldiers abandoning humanitarian activities is clearly driven by the effort not to create potential for possible conflicts endangering civilian population and humanitarian organisations, which is oftentimes very complicated in both political and simple human terms. ”The more we - the military - work together with civilians, the more we show to the enemy that the civilians are biased, that they cooperate with us, which may hamper their position, expose them to sort of an existential risk.“ The architecture of links and relations is defi nitely an intricate matter. One thing is to build the structure in peacetime and put its solidness and endurance to a test in various exercise scenarios. More demanding and challenging, however, is to transfer the architectural network into war zones where human lives are frequently at stake and solidness of relations may be very fragile. Lieutenant-Colonel Jančík will be able to test robustness and durability of the architecture he has contributed to build in six-month tour in Operation ISAF in Afghanistan starting January next year. He says it is a logical consequence of his service at Headquarters ARRC. “I have operational experience from the Balkans. The important thing will be to quickly gain a degree of familiarity with the situation on the ground, understand the matrix and make use of the imaginary architecture of international relations.“

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by Jan Procházka and Radko Janata

4545 s t n e v

E Events MMultinationalultinational LLogisticogistic CCoordinationoordination CCenter:enter: OOnene SSteptep CCloserloser

Having formed in Prague pursuant to a Czech initiative presented to other NATO nations in October 2008 in a session of the Senior NATO Logisticians Conference (SNLC), which Hungary, Greece, SLovakia and U.S. joined by signing the Letter of Intent in October 2009, the Multinational Logistics Coordination Center (MLCC) achieved its initial operational capability January 31, 2010.

To mark the occasion, the symbolic ribbon at the Mr. Bruno Cantin, head of logistics section chief of MLCC ops room door was cut by the Czech 1st Deputy the NATO International Staff in Brussels, also welcomed CHOD, Brigadier Miroslav Žižka, offi cial of the Hungarian the achieved progress in the meeting: “I highly value the Joint Force Command J-4 branch, Colonel Ferenc Jakab, fact that the Czech Republic took up the challenge of Deputy Chief of General Staff Hellenic Armed Forces, establishing the Multinational Logistics Coordination Admiral Christos Katsaros, Commander Operations Center, whose founding idea involves the assistance Support Staff of the General Staff the Armed Forces of and support the Czech Republic has received in the the Slovak Republic, Major-General Peter Vojtek, and process from other nations, especially the United States Division Chief Logistic Support U.S. European Command of America. I am looking forward to the achievement of (USEUCOM), Navy Captain Edward Digges. full operational capability of the center, which is highly General Žižka commented: “Now we are at the very valuable for our logistic efforts.“ beginning and we face much work before the Multinational Today, the MLCC embarked on another challenging Logistics Coordination Center becomes fully operational phase of development. Colonel Roman Dufek, Czech but I would like to see the light at the end of the tunnel offi cer responsible for MLCC operations, said: “The in terms of the successful Multinational Logistic idea behind this project. The Coordination Center started graduating operational tempo to operate in virtual set-up. places increasing demands To achieve that objective, on the limited capacity of an MLCC ops room was logistic support components, prepared and equipped particularly in smaller NATO with communication and nations, and an enhanced information systems at cooperation is therefore Pohořelec Barracks in Prague essential.“ and launched a website 46 accessible to other NATO logisticians in cooperation with the US European Command.“ Colonel Vladimír Halenka, Director Czech MoD Logistic Policy Division, outlined further essential steps to come: ”An expert group has been in the process of developing documents for the Minister of Defence to decide on the future shape of the Multinational Logistics Coordination Center. Based on the Minister’s decision, we will fi rst prepare the structure of the centre’s national element, which is to account for some 25% of its total personnel, and then additional organisational and legal steps necessary for direct involvement of our foreign partners here in Prague.“ Colonel Halenka also summarised the MLCC mission: “We will be focusing primarily on information sharing, education, training and coordinating international cooperative logistics efforts prior to the deployment of NATO nations’ and partner forces for operations. In case we embark on operations with pre-prepared, compatible, and even more coordinated logistic support, we will not only save money, but also forces and assets as well as time and space necessary to support units in their area of operations.“ And what about the next steps facing the Multinational Logistics Coordination Centre? Already on March 16- 17th, the task was up to organise a subject-matter workshop in Prague, attended not only by member nations of the initiative, but also other states that follow MLCC development closely and consider their future involvement. by CAPT Jan Šulc, Public Diplomacy Section, ACR General Staff

47 O T

A There are six Czech soldiers serving their tours in the Combined Air Operations

N Center in Uedem, Germany.

g n i SSafeguardingafeguarding PartPart ooff tthehe SSkyky c u d o r t n I Introducing NATO

Hitting Autobahn 57 in Düsseldorf and going on north towards Nijmegen, Netherlands, after about a sixty minutes’ drive you arrive the town of Uedem. Asking any of the locals about the military, you would get the same answer. On the left-hand side, up on the hill; several hundred metres on, you see they were right. A common-place white “Luftwaffe-NATO“ banner points toward an important NATO tactical command: the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC). There are also six Czech service personnel posted there.

Until the beginning of 1990s, tactical command and control over defensive and offensive air operations were performed in separation. Nevertheless, reorganisation in NATO impacted on the responsibilities of the then Allied Tactical Operations Centres (ATOC) with the mission to plan and conduct offensive air operations and Sector Operations Centre (SOCs) performing only air defence missions. At the beginning of 1990s, they were merged to form the CAOC Combined Air Operations Centres. Over the past two years, additional integration has taken place in NATO air forces, substantially decreasing the number CAOCs – from ten to four. Following optimisation of NATO command arrangements, there are only two tactical commands left in the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINADS) northern area of responsibility: CAOC in Uedem and CAOC in Finderup, Denmark.

THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE In general, the mission of such an operations centre is to prepare, plan and coordinate air operations in its assigned area of responsibility both in peace and in 4848 crisis. Day-to-day activities at CAOC Uedem primarily focus on policing its assigned airspace over ten European countries from Benelux to the Baltic. Inactivating CAOC 4 expanded the Uedem CAOC’s AOR with southern half of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The CAOC in Uedem currently undergoes major Safeguarding Part of the Sky technical and organisational changes while the major factor in the process is the implementation of the new Air Command and Control System (ACCS) and attaining the capability to deploy anywhere on the globe. In a hyperbole, this is about balancing know-how. The mission is operationally and logistically supported by U.S. forces, speciﬁ cally the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center and 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, both based at Ramstein. ACCS is soon to replace the existing NATO air defence systems in Europe, such as NADGE, GEADGE and STRIDA. The ACCS implementation on tactical level will attain a true integration of individual command and control system elements.

ALPHA SCRAMBLE With all due respect to other military professionals in Uedem, the key role is played by the fi ve-member team of duty offi cers, who exercise direct control over assigned defensive air and air defence assets. At the beginning of the chain, there are radar sensors scanning the airspace on 24/7/365 basis and transmitting the air picture to control and reporting centres. It is CAOC duty shift, specifi cally the leader, who makes the decision the scramble QRA fi ghters. In case there is an airspace security violation, the leader orders two QRA machines to take off immediately (Alfa Scramble), with initial tasking on average a month. The most frequent reason for Czech to visually identify the target in question. Available JAS-39 Gripen, Slovak MiG-29, German Eurofi ghters and stats show that ”alpha“ is on here three to four times Phantoms, as well as Polish, Belgian and Dutch F-16s to intervene is usually the loss of communication by the airplane with civilian air traffi c control.

DENYING PERSONNEL TRENDS Any component of such kind, larded with the most advanced electronic systems, would however be useless without highly qualiﬁ ed and experienced staff. Uedem is an international facility that brings under a single roof men and women in uniform of seventeen nations. Most represented are Germans, Americans, Belgians and the Dutch. Financial commitments or indeed national contributions to fund CAOC are derived from the number of professionals nations have on the unit. Contrarily to most Allied forces, where defence budget cuts enforce downsizing including personnel restrictions, the Uedem facility will see its personnel increased. The principal reason for a larger staff is NATO’s growing territorial security role that reduces the need for static defences and rather calls for an effective approach to crisis management requiring a higher degree of deployability and readiness. There are six members of the Armed Force of the Czech Republic serving at the Uedem facility at the moement. With the exception of analytical section, Czechs are 49 O T A N

g n i c u d o r t n I Introducing NATO

represented at all key elements of the CAOC. The most was in command of the Control and Reporting Center senior-ranked Czech is Colonel Milan Marek, who is in Stará Boleslav back in the Czech Republic and assigned as Deputy Director Air Operations, which ranks studied the United States War College. “The duty tour him among top CAOC offi cials. That post ensures the here at Uedem meant a great headway for me both in Czech Armed Forces is adequately represented on the professional and personal terms. We are confronted with command group. In addition to that, we have two Major- a gamut of facts that I did not think as the Commander ranked professionals in the planning branch and three Control and Reporting Center in Czech Republic or as specialists serving on the permanent duty shifts – shift a citizen in the Czech Republic would ever concern leader, air situation offi cer and assistant head. me,“ he states and goes on to say that another positive The intention to increase the number of personnel at the Uedem Combined Air Operations Centre will also apply to the Czech Republic. After affi rmatory position of the NATO Military Committee that approved the new NATO command arrangements, the next two years will see progressive increase to nine Czech Air Force personnel. THE SAME RIVER TWICE Uedem is unique for Colonel Milan Marek by being his professional premiere as well as the very last tour in his service. There were hectic beginnings eleven years ago, during which Colonel Marek first passed entry specialist course at the CAOC and, shortly after that, a three-year tour serving as the head of duty shift. In February 2008, he returned to CAOC, this time as deputy director air operations. His 30-month tour in the Federal Republic of Germany concludes on the last day of July, when he will be celebrating his fiftieth birthday at the same time. He will pass on two imaginary batons (first connected with his post, the second relating to the position of the Senior National Representative of the Czech Republic) to Colonel Petr Mikulenka, Commander 21st Air Force Base Čáslav and pilot of the JAS-39 Gripen multirole supersonic fighter. ”Trust me, it will be both enjoyable and informative retrospect,“ says COL Marek, who 5050 aspect is working in an international environment. “It is people’s profiles. On the other hand, that incites also about “international“ way of managing your staff. a broad mutual discussion cultivating your knowledge. Your encounter various national habits that influence The important part is that both parties understood each the way you treat your subordinates on constant basis. other perfectly and read the order in completely same You may even not realise yourself that formulating manner. In case the individual accepts the tasks one- orders badly or having misconceptions about national hundred percent, you can be sure he/she will perform specificity may lead to misunderstandings possibly much more effectively and add some more value in hampering on mission performance. That is, of course, most instances, because quality performance is also not unacceptable. Therefore, you need to able to read a question of the individual’s professionalism,“ explains COL Marek and underscores that the training Czech service personnel undergo for staff tours abroad should reflect on that aspect of diplomacy, which has been commonplace in the NATO Alliance for many years. One of the professional benefi ts the six Czech military professionals enjoy at Uedem is the positive image of the Armed Forces of Czech Republic. ”The Czech deployment for airspace policing over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and eight alpha scrambles the QRA Gripen fi ghters had during the tour were resounding. We demonstrated to NATO partners that we have met required compatibility and training quality standards. Any success of such kind defi nitely boosts your confi dence,“ says COL Marek and adds one more personal lesson. ”As a Czech representative in a foreign country, you should also foster correct contacts with your neighbours in the place of your residence. People around you look closely at what you do and make conclusions for example about how you care of the house and land you have rented. We are still so-called East for them, and therefore interesting. Hundreds of kilometres away from home, Czech offi cers fi nd living with good neighbourly relations much better than otherwise.“

by Pavel Lang and Jan Procházka photos by authors and Jan Kouba 51 e s i

c Three thousand personnel of ﬁ ve NATO nations’ armed forces worked

r shoulder-to-shoulder, jointly pursuing objectives of combat operations e as a part of exercise Flying Rhino 2010 x E

l a

n EEveryvery MMissionission UUniquenique o i t a n i t l u M Multinational Exercise For three weeks in May, land and air forces of the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and Slovakia performed joint combat operations in a multinational division order of battle in exercise Flying Rhino. Same as in previous years, the involved units put to the test their preparedness, particularly for operational deployments in Afghanistan.

Flying Rhino penetrated the Hawk trainer jets, Lynx helicopters and Lithuanian territory of seven regions of the L-39ZA Albatros jet trainers as well as American F-16CJ Czech Republic for the eighth multirole fi ghters.“ consecutive time. On May The mention should also be made that the aircraft 3-21, three thousand service take off into exercise airspaces designated ”RAT“ and personnel, of whom about “JERBOA“ from the 22nd Air Force Base at Náměšť nad a thousand were of the Czech Oslavou while land operations take place in the Brdy and Armed Forces, were up to dozens Libavá Military Training Areas. of scenarios they could encounter deployed for combat operations in FACS GAINING ON IMPORTANCE Afghanistan. British forces, specifi cally the 1st (UK) Armoured Division, have played a key role here. ”NATO On road, by railway and via air is how the British forces troops are here to share their combat lessons from based in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany Afghanistan and build on them to enhance effectiveness moved to the Czech Republic. Transfer of soldiers and of land and air operations,“ says commander 1st (UK) hundreds tons of materiel and ammunition must have Armoured Division and FR 2010 exercise director, Major- obviously claimed a longterm preparation. ”Once Flying General Adrian Bradshaw, and describes goals of what Rhino is over, we are launching preparations for the next has been one of the largest fi eld training exercise in run. There is no other way to do it with such a large event,“ the Czech territory this year. ”Plus to maintain combat says the FR 2010 chief logistic offi cer, Major Milan qualifi cations of forward air controllers and coordinated Holusek of the Olomouc-based Joint Force Command and live fi re of artillery and air assets“, he adds. provides an example: ”The Brits managed to transport six The British General goes on to specify major types of hundred units of hardware on seven trains from the FRG equipment used by the involved NATO nations’ armed and fi fty ISO containers into four predesignated locations forces. ”On land, we are supported by 155-mm AS 90 in the Czech Republic. Unloading coordinated by Czech self-propelled howitzers, 86-mm mortars, air defence Armed Forces liaison offi cers was performed fl awless, assets and HVM Rapier systems, SA-6 Gainful and RBS- with substantial assistance particularly by the members 70, ARTHUR radar and Sojka III unmanned aerial vehicles of the 14th (Czech) Logistic Support Brigade.“ as well as other command, control, reconnaissance, The Brits provided for housing and messing in fact on air defence, passive systems and electronic warfare their own. They built tent shelter camps with necessary assets. In the air, we have all types of aircraft in service infrastructure in training locations. They used own fi eld with the Czech Air Force, British Tornado GR4 fi ghters, cooking facilities to cater for their troops. “We helped 5252 them with contacts to local commercial contractors and coordinated limited logistic support services,“ says MAJ Holusek. Flying Rhino is every year’s load test for the Náměšť Air Force Base in particular. What initially was a bilateral exercise turned into a large event with international importance. Not only that the 22nd Air Force Base becomes involved with its personnel and hardware in EX FR, but it also performs the Host Nation Support (HNS) role. ”We seek to be good hosts in all respects. The feedback we have received from foreign exercise participants has been positive so far and that is very pleasing. We are also committed to excellent relations with local communities,“ Colonel Libor Štefánik, Commander 22nd Air Force Base, explains and goes on to say: ”Increased fl ight intensity and fl ying operations as late as until 1 a.m. entails a higher noise load. We have therefore had discussions with offi cials of surrounding

municipalities to explain objectives of this international exercise.“ Although Colonel Štefánik points out the obvious expansion of land forces taking part in the exercise compared to Rhino’s previous runs, he assures that one the exercise priorities remained to enhance professional qualiﬁ cations of forward air controllers or FACs. ”In the context of Flying Rhino, several dozens of such specialists were employed, including FACs of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic,“ states the commander 22nd AFB. No doubt that the demand for these specialists on foreign-deployed operations has grown consistently. The reason is that the Close Air Support (CAS) missions,

5353 e s i c r e x E

l a n o i t a n i t l u M Multinational Exercise

during which cooperation with forward air controllers is absolutely essential, are always case-specifi c. ”The exercise scenario mirrors the reality of the confl ict in Afghanistan. It is therefore inconceivable for the forces to operate in their area of responsibility without a FAC support. But it is not just about the very controlling of airplanes onto targets. It is unacceptable at the same time to expose friendly forces and non-combatants to the danger of effects of an attack,“ explains LTC Jiří Dědič, Commander of the 225th combat support battalion, who has responsibility over the FAC unit. Some might say the scenery Czech Republic provides is substantially different to the one in Afghanistan, because there are no high mountains or deserts. But FACs follow exactly given scheme in their work. It is paramount for them to be able to feel like they were the pilots of the aircraft they are controlling. The landscape profi le is not the key factor in this sense. The Czech military training areas also offer the possibility to simulate completely realistic crisis scenarios,“ LTC Dědič states and reviews additional positive aspects. ”We are able to work with task forces as big as a combined division, we communicate with pilots who are native English speakers, control foreign aircraft using night

5454 vision goggles and gain additional experience, including from AGOS, the U.S. forward air controller school. Every mission is unique,“ says LTC Dědič with pride.

FIGHTING BOTH IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND Flying Rhino schedule divides into two phases. ”The fi rst week practises individual procedures and harmonises Allied forces involved. For the next two weeks the division-level command and control system activates fully and scenario of episodes progressively comes to a head,“ explains Major Jakub Štefánek, Deputy Exercise Director, and elaborates that the FR At the Náměšť AFB apron platform, ground personnel 2010 divides into several mutually coordinated smaller are in the process of fi nalising preps for fl ight action. exercises that culminate with a live fi re practice. “We load fi fty rounds into the GSh-23 cannon on the Day-to-day routines at the NATO base quartering Czech thirty-niners,“ Lieutenant-Colonel Oldřich Lokaj members of British-Czech task force are suddenly over. explains. His words are cut off by the noise produced Terrorist assault comes unexpectedly and fast. Fierce by a couple of Slovak L-39 ZA aircraft. Lithuanian ZAs, enemy rifl e and mortar fi re results in many casualties. Czech ALCAs, British hawks and Tornados start up in Although allied troops answer fi re, they are progressively succession. Having barely lifted off the runway they turn getting into a heavy defensive. Danish and Lithuanian heading for the Brdy military training area while Czech forward air controllers enter the scene calling air support Mi-24/35 gunships and British Lynx helicopters begin to the incident site using radios. A couple of minutes turning their rotors. later, two Czech Armed Forces L-159 ALCA subsonic “We have a fi vesome of one-fi ve-niners here to fl y combat aircraft attack enemy positions. The airplanes CAS sorties, both with practice and live ammunition, assault and release practise bombs. A massive cloud including GBU-12 laser guided bombs. We regard of smoke and deafening bang occur in the range target Flying Rhino an optimal opportunity to fi ne-tune our zone. The Libavá training area is where one of the dozens preparedness for possible operational deployment in of Flying Rhino episodes is just coming to a head. Afghanistan,“ comments Major David Řeha, commander Italian Captain Francesco Spike, a FAC instructor, 212th Tactical Squadron. quickly calls his colleagues to join him. “Excellent job,“ appraises the Dane and the Lithuanian and reviews how by Pavel Lang they controlled their aircraft onto target. photos by Jan Kouba

5555 s n

o Firing the M2HB-QCB heavy machine gun mounted on Iveco i

t light armoured vehicles is very accurate and relatively comfy. a r e p LLikeike PlayingPlaying O

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y a CComputeromputer GameGame o l p e D Deployed Operations

We left blast walls ringing Camp Shank and headed south down the Road Utah. An extraordinary long convoy of Humvee, Dingo and Ivecoco armoured vehicles indicates that this time it is neither a patrol nor an escortort convoconvoy.y. Service personnel of the 5th contingent the Provincial Reconstructionruction Team (PRT) in Logar are scheduled for infantry weapon shooting practise.actise.

Expected time of arrival back to the camp is as late as four p.m. So, MRE packs will need to make up for the lunch. There will not be time later on to eat; some therefore rather eat now. One of the soldiers offers us dried beef. He says it’s a perfect thing: it just weighs a couple of grams and makes you feel full. He also shows how to eat it. The best way is to tear ﬁ bres with teeth and let it in the mouth for a while, until saliva increases its volume.

HARRY POTTER SHOOTING RANGE Someone behind us says the local range is real good. They say there is a rock like from the Harry Potter, nearly a thousand metre high. It just takes of couple of minutes for us to see for ourselves that they had not bluffed this time at all. The salient rock can be seen from a great distance already. To get there, we fi rst need to pass Camp Altimur. The fortifi cation uphill is the home base to Romanian special forces and Afghani National Army. There are Americans here as well. The range has been booked. We just need to sign a document with Americans cofnirming we have familiarity with safety rules and standard operation procedures of the local facility. 5656 We are allocated frequencies we must be permanently available at, and let’s go. “We will be shooting nearly all weapons used by the contingent: Glock 17 pistols, Sa-58 rifl es, Minimi, MG3 and M2HB 12.7-mm machine guns, Sako and Falkon sniper rifl es, AGS-17 grenade launchers and Carl Gustav RPGs. The Czech representative in the EUPOL (EU Police Mission), who is with us today, has even brought the German G 36 submachine gun. If we are good timewise, we will also shoot DShK and PKM machine guns mounted on Humvees,“ explains the offi cer responsible for today’s fi ring practise, WO Zdeněk I., and continues: “To maintain habits you have drilled and your marksmanship standards is even more important on an operational tour than anywhere else. That is why we practise shooting twice a week. One time we go here, at the Altimur infantry range, where we can shoot long distances. We could hardly try such training out back home. In addition to that, we are using another range right on the base, which was created from former helipad. But only short- range practise is possible there.“

We are interested most in the inventory of the Iveco LMV light armoured vehicles that the reconnaissance detachment uses. Drivers praised driving properties of the vehicle equipped with automatic gearbox a short while ago. Despite all armour and a strong protection, the vehicle is said to be highly manoeuvrable. It does up to hundred and ten kilometres an hour on road. The modular ballistic protection can easily be enhanced with add-on armour sets. Up on the roof, accessible through a hatch, is the Protector M151 A2 weapon station controlled from within the cab, produced by Kongsberg company of Norway. It houses the M2HB.QCB heavy machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal of Belgium. Apart from those, the weapon station can also mount a 40-mm grenade launcher as well as Javelin, Mistral or CRV7/Hydra missiles. There are also smoke grenades, but they do not get activated this time.

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d e y o l p e D Deployed Operations

SHOOTING FROM IVECO VEHICLE “Sure you gonna hit, there is nothing easier than operating this weapon,“ smiles the gunner, SSG Jan T., and frees the rear seat up for me. “It’s as easy as shooting in a computer game.“ I am fi nding out it is very simple to slew the gun to all sides using the actuator. My target of big rocks is well over 1,000 metres away. I put my left hand on the display panel and my right on the control stick aiming the machine gun barrel and feeling the trigger on the joystick. The weapon has two safety locks and a safety guard in addition to that. The weapon station also includes a camera, IR camera and laser rangefi nder. You can zoom the target in or out on the display. If you do not shoot, the camera can be used for surveillance. The camera’s range is several kilometres, depending on current ambient visibility. It is possible to perform surveillance as well as shooting at night. In case it helps achieve fi ner detail, the display switches to negative imaging. At the beginning, the moves I am making are too jerky; I am not skilled at handling the joystick. The gunner next to me gives me a hint: it is like milking cows. Unfortunately I am not skilled at either. I am electing one of the seven crosshairs. The American one. It divides into tiny segments so that it is easier to zero in. Eventually I am having the target exactly in my sight. I am pushing the trigger. The vehicle just tugs very lightly a couple of times. With headset on, I would not even know I am shooting. The display exactly shows the projectiles’ impact one segment right to the stones. I am zeroing in a second and fi ring another short burst from the belt 5858 with two hundred and eighty rounds. The eroded rocks break into pieces this time. When the then Military Police Special Operations Group established the requirement for these vehicles, their rationale was that they would need them to smash rocks that insurgents used for cover. I am fi nding out myself it does work. Firing on the move is more challenging. But it is not a big problem either as the station is equipped with a stabilizer. Contrarily, in case a moving target is shot at, the camera focuses on the target, the computer calculates the target velocity and automatically aims the barrel before the target. While we have stated just recently that the seasoned DShK machine guns in the inventory of our Armed Forces were actually not that bad, I see the whole thing in a completely different light after such a lesson. Now I know what gunners from the reconnaissance detachment meant saying that just this well over the target, by some thirty to forty metres. But the twenty-fi rst century weapon. it gets closer to the target. The third couple of rounds impacts already pretty close. UNTIL THE CARAVAN PASSE S BY Shooting the Carl Gustav RPGs is the cream of the crop. The loader slides the round inside, slaps the A camel caravan moves across the shooting range. An shooter on the shoulder, turns away and covers his ears. order comes immediately to cease fi re. We can do nothing Then there is a deafening bang, fl ash and much smoke. but wait until they pass. Spring began and nomads set off It claims some skill to hit the target with this weapon for their travels. Shooting does not bother them at all; precisely. fi ring belongs to living in Afghanistan like air or water. The Raven reconnaissance UAV takes off exactly at Sometimes it even happens that some people pop up in noon. UAV operators search broader areas adjacent to the nearby wadi to see what is happening. the range to enhance security and safety standards. The convoy of Humvees turns around and returns to Initially, there were plans that we would employ the the base, because it is clear at this point that their crews system much more frequently. But is has mostly been the will not have their go today. They have to fi nish earlier U.S. who provide reconnaissance with UAVs for the PRT. because they are scheduled for a patrol at one p.m. Raven completes several rounds and operator makes Finally we can continue shooting. We try another new sure everything is all right. His colleague reports there item in service, the Minimi, at the range of some four was a suspicious movement at two o’clock. He fl ies the hundred metres. I am aiming the dot in the sight to the UAV in that direction, but it turns out it was just a herd of bottom part of the running fi gure-shaped target. But the camels. In several moments, the Raven lands on its belly burst falls too short. The dust rises about two metres in on a rocky ground. Seems like a hard landing, but I am front of the target. I am adjusting. I am hitting the bull’s told the UAV is designed for that – that is why it is made eye this time. of high endurance materials. The more diffi cult part is fi ring a grenade launcher at approximately fi ve hundred metres. The fi rst burst shoots by Vladimír Marek

59 e c n a t s i s s A

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l OOMeLeTteMeLeTte i M Military-to-military Assistance

Two years have passed from the deployment of the ﬁ rst Czech helicopter Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) at the Kabul International Airport (KAIA) to train military pilots and ground personnel of the Afghan National Army (ANA) Air Corps. What did they hold?

Some key facts by the way of introduction: the Czech Rudolf Straka as part of the 3rd Czech Armed Forces Republic decided to donate to the Afghani National contingent in International Security Assistance Force Army six Mi-17 transport helicopters and six Mi-24 (ISAF) stationed at the Kabul International Airport. ANA gunships decommissioned from the inventory of the officials continue to show eager commitment to working Armed Forces of the Czech Republic for being surplus. with Czech experts. Endorsed by the Cabinet of the Czech Republic in October 2007, the deed of donation was signed between ROTATION OF CZECH OMLT the Czech and Afghani Ministry of Defence and the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan Captain Vladimír Vladik, Capt. Martin Vaniš and Capt. (CTSC-A) that is responsible for training Afghani flight Josef Mareš of the 221st Helicopter Squadron the 22nd personnel. Dozen of machines then underwent overhaul Air Force Base (Helo) are already through their premiere and modernisation funded by the North Atlantic Treaty tour in the Czech Air OMLT at Kabul. Organisation. “We will expand our aid to Afghanistan “The second round of rotations has just started. by sending our military experts into Kabul to provide Roughly a dozen instructors have served here during the input into building the Afghan National Army Air Corps,“ past two years,“ says Capt. Vladik and explains that they said the General Vlastimil Picek, the Chief of General are going together with Capt. Vaniš for their second tour Staff Czech Armed Forces. From April 2008, first as in Afghanistan starting April. They do not have a clear a part of the 4th Czech Armed Forces Field Hospital and answer to whether their previous experience has been CBRN defence contingent, an eight-member group of useful for them or not. ”We both know very well what the 23rd Air Force Base (Heli) began to operate under we are up to. It will not be necessary to get to know the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Pospíchal. The environment, fl ight personnel training system and the Czech Air OMLT teams then rotated serving four-month Mi-24 helicopter maintenance system. On the other tours. Presently, there is an eleven-member team of the hand, we will be confronted with a different group of 22nd Air Force Base Náměšť led by Lieutenant-Colonel Afghanis. 6060 “They are mostly experienced pilots who have logged as many as thousands hours of fl ying in mountain environment. But they have not fl own for a long period of time and our mission is to renew their professional automatisms. In addition, we seek to get verifi ed their system of training fl ight personnel for fl ying and we recommend essential changes in mission planning and assessment to prevent undesired events endangering fl ight safety,“ says Capt. Vaniš and gives an example related to using a modern navigation system - the GPS. “Those who have not ever experienced working with Afghan pilots onboard a helicopter would fi nd it hard to imagine the diversity of tasks we are up to. Operating the GPS navigation system practically proved to be a very hard nut for Afghans to crack. They do not have such a technology awareness as we do to be able to program the device quickly and, fi rst and foremost, use it operatively in fl ight.“ His colleague from the helicopter squadron Capt. Josef Mareš comments: “Asked about the position of a landmark they pinpoint it on the map with their fi nger without hesitation. But when asked to draw a fl ight route, they often fi nd it diffi cult. We focus our attention on such weaknesses in our ground training.“ It is no secret that the Czech Air Force had to refresh their Russian vocabulary communicating with Afghans. The knowledge of English is very poor here; Afghan pilots communicate in Dari or in Russian. Interpreters make We will see how we get on with each other, both in the situation easier. “We have learnt some basic phrases terms of work and personality,“ they say in unison. in Dari as well, but it was not enough for fl uent aviation They already know that professional qualifi cation of phraseology amongst aircrew,“ Capt. Vladik recalls. their Afghan colleagues will be the less demanding part. The Czech instructor also found interesting to learn Many Afghan pilots studied at former Soviet air schools about the differences in Afghani culture and mentality and fl ew with Soviet instructors. of the locals as well as living at KAIA. “Afghans had

6161 e

c a very friendly attitude to my person and showed me how n they valued the Czech assistance. Being on station at

a the Kabul airport also gave me many valuable lessons. t In multinational environments, you are confronted with

s people coming from various parts of the world all the i time,“ Capt. Vaniš states. s s LESSONS FOR BOTH SIDES A

The key thing during a four-month tour took place in y the Mi-24 gunship cockpits. The practice was as follows: r day one preparation, day two ﬂ ights. Of course subject

a to meteo conditions. “With elevation eighteen hundred t metres above sea level, the Kabul International Airport i

l has some specifi city. For example, when visibility dropped i under fi ve kilometres, fl ight operations were restricted. High temperatures had to be taken into account as well, m

- which practically meant that we ﬂ ew early in the morning or in the evening,“ says Vladimír Vladik and adds that o

t situations when the technical personnel could not even performed to satisfaction on both sides,“ Capt. Mareš

- touch the broiled machines were not exceptional. When says and he also evaluates with respect the training

y you consider wearing the tactical vest weighing several standards Afghani pilots have displayed. ”I did not r kilos … interfere into their piloting. I only grabbed the stick in

a The mission of the Czech OMLT team was not to ﬂ y given exceptional cases. It was not about being afraid of ﬂ ying t number of hours with Afghani pilots, but rather prepare with them.“ i

l them for performance of limited combat missions. One Speaking about fl ight operations, all three instructors i of such tasks were live fi re exercises for instance. concur that they did not only pass their experience “With our predecessors, Afghans passed weapon but also learnt some lessons themselves. “Flying in M Military-to-military Assistance system training, including zeroing in weapons as well mountains and in extreme climatic conditions gave us as so-called photo shooting. Then they continued with many new lessons,“ they add. navigation fl ights and performance of assaults. During my tour, they already completed a live fi re exercise by Pavel Lang with the machine gun and with unguided rockets. They photos by Czech OMLT

6262 AAnn eexercisexercise ooff CCzechzech AArmedrmed FForcesorces eengineerngineer uunitnit iinn a tterritoryerritory mminedined inin previousprevious cconflictsonflicts BBozenaozena aatt tthehe JJordanordan RRiveriver

Bozena is a traditional Czech female name that is on the calendar on eleventh February. But the military Bozena 5 celebrates the twenty-third day of April from this year on, because it has set off for it ﬁ rst ”live” mission abroad.

Bozena 5 remote controlled self-propelled ﬂ ail demining system: vehicles manufactured in Slovakia in service with Czech military deployed in the Jordan river valley from April till July or indeed till October. Two out of three demining systems in the inventory of the 15th Engineer Brigade together with a Czech Armed Forces unit departed for an exercise in Jordan at the end of April earlier this year. A day before that, a Ukrainian carrier’s Antonov An-124-100M machine landed on runway zero-six of the Prague Ruzyně airport to load both Bozenas stored in transport containers onboard.

HUMANITARIAN AID TO JORDAN As the Middle East belongs to the Czech Foreign policy’s high priority areas, the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic decided to support the demining project in Jordan. It is a part of extensive efforts the Government of Jordan is making to further improve their relations with the neighbouring states of Israel and Syria while boosting economic development in the concerned territory. Czech-Jordanian talks resulted in signing a memorandum of understanding on March 8th, 2010. ”Our mission is to provide humanitarian aid to Jordan by the means of deploying a Czech Armed Forces engineer unit into the Jordan River valley that sustained most of mining as a result of previous Israeli-Arab conflicts. The exercise have been prepared for quite some time and its importance for the Czech Republic primarily consists in the fact that progressive disposal 6363 e c n a t s i s s A

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of mines will undoubtedly help stabilise situation in the region,“ says Brigadier Bohuslav Dvořák, Director of MoD Force Development Division – Operations Division and specifies the mandate for the engineer unit. ”The mission is planned for three months, with effectiveness employing the demining vehicles to be evaluated already in that timeframe. We think it is very likely that the Jordanian party initiates a request for our mission to be extended by another three months.“ The Chief of the Engineer service of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, Colonel Robert Bielený, comments on the positive aspects of the ﬁ rst “live“ foreign mission involving Czech combat engineers. ”It was only in military tests and training practise mostly in Slovakia that Czech engineers gained experience with Bozena’s 64 abilities. This several months’ exercise in unknown terain and with live ordnance will be a big leap ahead in their professionalism. My personal opinion is that this six-month exercise at the Jordan River means more for them than ten years of teaching this advanced demining system to them,“ COL Bielený explains and adds that Bozena operators passed a dedicated maintenance and servicing course on manufacturer sites. ”In case mine explosions damage the machine, Czech soldiers are able to repair it themselves. For such instances, the unit also carries necessary spare parts and, most importantly, another Bozena 5 ﬂ ail demining system.“ The area for Czech Armed Forces engineers has been identified by the Jordan National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation. Jordanian specialists have not been able to perform manual mine disposal in difficult terrain that is thickly covered with shrubbery in addition to that. Equipped with rotating flail device with effective demining width of 2,65 metres, Božena will clear the river valley area from antipersonnel and antitank mines. The only limits to the remote-controlled machine are terrain inclination and locations with mines having charges over nine kilo TNT equivalent. “Our mission is not to demine the whole river valley, because that would take several years, but to aid Jordan and test capabilities of demining vehicles in demanding conditions at the same time,“ Colonel Bielený explains. What does the Chief of Engineer Service mean? “Potential deployment of Bozena 5 for combat operations in Afghanistan,“ he states and adds that if circumstances permit, there is an interest to use these remote controlled robotic manipulators primarily for disposing of improvised explosive devices planted on roads used by Allied convoys. One of the reasons for that not to have happened so far is the lack of experience on the side of Czech engineers. ”The Bozena 5 type has been in service with the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic nearly for two years. Full-scale Bozena operator training normally takes nine months plus,“ he argues. For Major Vladimír Záškodný, deputy commander 153rd Combat Engineer Battalion, who is in charge of the nine-member team of specialists from Olomouc and Rakovník, exercise in the Kingdom of Jordan is not the first foreign mission. He served a tour in KFOR in the territory of Kosovo seven years ago. “In case of the exercise, we are focusing on high-intensity training in difficult climate conditions. The transition from a training area into minefields will also put our mental endurance to a thorough test. We have done our best to succeed,“ MAJ Záškodný says and boards the Ruslan aircraft. After four hours of flight, the Czech Armed Forces engineer unit lands in the capital of Jordan, Amman. It takes over an hour’s time to get to the Karama Base located about eighty kilometres westwards. A brief welcome, coordination talks and introduction to the site. And Czech soldiers are up to another challenging mission …

by Pavel Lang photos by Jan Kouba and Martin Koller Support the Legend Hurricane Mk I at the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain

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