11/2013/2013 REVIEW CCapableapable LLogisticianogistician 22013013 1 Contents Someone does this Czech Armed Forces: and the other does that… 2 Epilogue to the Baltic mission 8 Under the baton 20th Anniversary of experienced sergeants 10 PRT Logar wrapping up in Afghanistan after fi ve years 12 Not only the Czech Republic, but the Czech Armed Forces Sending Instructors to Mali 14 also mark the twentieth anniversary of its independent Training with impact 16 existence. During that time, the armed forces underwent Disagreement out of question 18 major developments – from abolishment of conscription, Flight hours instead of money 20 replacement in senior commanders’ posts and equipment Badge for combat-proven warriors 23 to entry into NATO and engagement in international First time with Sokol 26 operations. Not all changes were to the good, but one At the end of tether 28 thing is for sure: the Czech military is today an all- Beware of mental traps 30 volunteer force; it gained new experience and won Afghanistan is never a routine... 32 international recognition over the two decades. Up to Afghans now 36 The metamorphosis is perceived both by the world and people at home: a matter of recent years only. Czechs had joined UN peacekeeping opera- and establishment of two new states at the end of 1992. At that time, Czech Two paths, one direction 38 whereas in the fi rst half of 1990s less than a half of Czech citizens had con- tions in Africa even before the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The so-called black and Slovak soldiers were passing the toughest stress test so far, which took Zona 2013 40 fi dence in the military, today it is trusted by over 60 per cent of the popula- continent became a great reservoir of extremely valuable lessons for many place under the acronym of UNPROFOR in the Balkans in the territory of tion and the Czech Armed Forces is one of the state institutions that enjoy years. As a matter of fact, service in UN peacekeeping operations as part of the disintegrating Yugoslavia. Although it is just individuals, Czechs carry When you can’t even see the target 42 the highest public support. multinational teams is extremely physically and mentally demanding, and on serving tours in the southeast of Europe. During two decades, over eight- Interestingly, according to the STEM opinion poll agency, the military is the duty is served without weapons. In the role of UN observers, Czechs een thousand Czech military personnel served tours in UNPROFOR/UN- Two two six, cleared for takeoff! 44 one of a few institutions that receive almost the same appreciation in across served tours from 1989 on missions in Africa, specifi cally in Angola, Na- CRO, IFOR, UNTAES, SFOR, AFOR and KFOR. Czech military profes- Reserve Offi cers’ Seminar 49 all cohorts. Confi dence in the armed forces is completely independent of mibia, Somalia, Mozambique, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Demo- sionals also joined the operation in the territory of Iraq. In 2003-07, Czech age or education of people and political orientation does not play the deci- cratic Republic of Congo, where they have been posted to date. military medical personnel and military police were deployed there. Pocked-Sized Forensic Institute 50 sive role either. The Czech Armed Forces’ good reputation may undoubtedly But the operation that laid the groundwork modern Czech military tradi- Today, the Czech Armed Force’s largest deployment is in Afghanistan. be credited to its aid to the civilian population during natural disasters – es- tions was nevertheless the engagement of Czechoslovak NBC defence unit Czech servicepoeple joined Operation ISAF already in 2002 with a fi eld To see and not to be seen 52 pecially following catastrophic fl ooding. The highest number of personnel in the confl ict with the Saddam Hussein regime. That 169-strong unit oper- medical facility and later with a surgical team. Czech were deployed in and equipment were deployed in 2002 in the basins of Vltava, Labe, Ohře ated in the territory of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from 15 December 1990 till several locations in the country – besides Kabul and Logar and Wardak Waiting for the Red Line 54 and Dyje rivers: 6,500 personnel and 1,099 vehicles and other hardware. 22 April 1991, when the force components started to withdraw back home. provinces, they also operated in Badakhshan, where they provided security The Man without a Face 56 Five thousand soldiers with four hundred vehicles provided aid in Moravia Off the total number of personnel who took part in Operation Desert Shield to the German Provincial Reconstruction Team, in Helmand, Uruzgan and in 1997. Most recently, the Armed Forces joined consequence management and Operation Desert Storm, career soldiers accounted for 56 per cent and Paktika. Czech helicopter forces pitched their tent there for two years with The Workhorse of Paratroops 58 efforts following fl oods in August three years ago. Nearly eight hundred the remainder were conscripts, who became soldiers under contract in the the assignment to provide air mobility to personnel and transport materiel, personnel with 240 vehicles operated along Nisa river. instant of deployment. support to quick reaction forces and medical evacuation operations. Train- Reward for bravery 60 While the Czech military personnel gained a good reputation at home During the Czechoslovak deployment’s operational tour in the territory of ing the Afghan National Army Air Force personnel on Mi-24/35 and Mi-17 The First Lady Chaplain 62 thanks to the aid it has provided, they primarily obtain new experience on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the fi rst signs of the crisis the Czechoslovak fed- helicopters was led by AMT/AAT deployment in Kabul. KAIA is also deployed operations. Engagement in foreign operations is defi nitely not just eration was undergoing started to show to eventually result in the break-up the station for Czech CBRN personnel performing NBC reconnaissance throughout Afghanistan and assisting on training new Afghan National Army CBRN defence specialists. Operation ISAF also saw the involvement Published by MoD CR of the Czech 601st Special Forces Group based at Prostějov, who operated Communication and Promotion Department for twelve months in Nangarhar province until 2011, and Military Police Tychonova 1, 160 01 Praha 6, Czech Republic training unit responsible for training Afghan National Police in Wardak. www.army.cz Observations and new lessons were also gained abroad by members of the Identifi cation number: 60162694 Czech Air Force, as a part of the Baltic Air Policing in Lithuania, where Address: Rooseveltova 23, 161 05 Praha 6, Czech Republic they provided airspace coverage to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as a part Phone: +420 973 215 553, +420 973 215 786 of NATINADS in 2009. The deployment with JAS-39 Gripen aircraft con- Editor-in-chief: Jan Procházka tinued in 2012. Layout: Andrea Bělohlávková Translation: Jan Jindra Hand in hand with the changes that have occurred as a part of defence Cover photos by Vladimír Marek reforms and transformation go armaments replacement programs and mod- Distributed by IMH Prague, Production Section ernisation of older but well-proven equipment. Over 170 acquisition cases Rooseveltova 23, 161 05 Praha 6, Czech Republic and development projects to modernise the inventory of the Armed Forces of Oľga Endlová, tel. +420 973 215 563 Editor‘s point of contact the Czech Republic have taken place to date. The most important ones were Printed by: EUROPRINT, a. s. the acquisition of Pandur wheeled armoured fi ghting vehicles, Iveco light ISSN 1804-9672 Editor-in-chief multipurpose vehicles and the Tatra medium offroad trucks. As to aerospace Registration number: MK ČR E 18227 Jan Procházka technology, major programs have included the JAS-39 Gripen multirole fi ght- Published July 2013 telephone: +420 973 215 553 ers on lease, acquisition of CASA transport aircraft and two Airbus A-319 CJ mobile: +420 724 033 407 aircraft. The CZ 805 BREN assault rifl es replacing the obsolete Sa-58 rifl es in e-mail: [email protected] the army inventory should not be omitted either. Graphics designer Andrea Bělohlávková www.army.cz telephone: +420 973 215 786 Photos by Jiří Hokův and Vladimír Marek e-mail: [email protected] NATO concentrated on seventeen functional areas. But In Slovakia, the Czech Armed Forces took part the highest priority was attached to those vital for resupplying forces: water, ammunition, POL, in the largest logistic training exercise in the recovery, equipment maintenance and naturally past two decades: Capable Logistician 2013 movement and transportation. Fighting fi re In the so-called functional area ammunition, that is in a fi eld ammunition depot, fi re broke out during exercise Capable Logistician 2013. There was a danger that the munitions would be destroyed, and potential explosion posed hazard for the surrounding area too. The depots com- manders immediately took necessary measures that included calling in helicopters with buckets for fi ghting area fi re. Most of the ammunition storage and safety systems were transported into the area over four hundred and seventy kilometres on a convoy of Tatra trucks with semitrailers led by the chief of staff of the ammunition base in Týniště nad Orlicí, Major Jaroslav Unger. Major Unger also became deputy commanding offi cer second to the Austrian commander of this functional area. Thus, Czech logisticians also practiced transpor- tation of materiel into areas of deployment. ”The mission of this site is to practise inter- operability among various national armed forces in reception, storing and distribution of ammu- nition. Apart from us, Slovaks, Austrians and French forces have been involved in building Someone does this and running this site.