| Army of the Czech Republic | |
|---|---|
| Armáda České republiky | |
 Coat of Arms | |
 Roundel | |
| Founded | 30 June 1918 (106 years, 9 months) |
| Current form | 1 January 1993 (32 years, 3 months) |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Prague,Czech Republic |
| Website | army |
| Leadership | |
| President |  Army GeneralPetr Pavel |
| Prime Minister |  Petr Fiala |
| Minister of Defence |  Jana Černochová |
| Chief of the General Staff |  Lieutenant GeneralKarel Řehka |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | Abolished in 2004[1] |
| Active personnel | 30,334 professional[2] 4,900 active reserve[2] 8,475 civilian employees[2] |
| Deployed personnel | 2,631 (in 2025)[a] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | CZK160.8 billion US$6.5 billion[2] (ranked 51st) |
| Percent of GDP | 2% (2025)[2] |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | |
| Foreign suppliers | |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Czech military ranks |
TheArmy of the Czech Republic (Czech:Armáda České republiky,lit. 'the Army of the Czech Republic'), also known as theCzech Army, is themilitary service responsible for the defence of theCzech Republic as part of theArmed Forces of the Czech Republic (Czech:ozbrojené síly České republiky)[11] alongside theMilitary Office of the President of the Republic and theCastle Guard.[12] The army consists of theGeneral Staff, theLand Forces, theAir Force and support units.[13]
Czech Army's modern history precedes the 1918Czechoslovak declaration of independence with formal establishment of theCzechoslovak Legion fighting on the side of theEntente powers during theWW1. Following theMunich Agreement, the country wasoccupied by Nazi Germany and the Army was reconstituted in exile, fighting on the side ofAllies of World War II in theEuropean as well asMediterranean and Middle East theatre. After the1948 Communist Coup, theCzechoslovak People's Army with over 200,000 active personnel and some 4,500tanks[14] formed one of the pillars of theWarsaw Pact military alliance.
Following theVelvet Revolution anddissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic joinedNATO in 1999. The conscription was abolished in 2004, leading to transformation into a modern professional army inspired mostly by theBritish Armed Forces andUSMC example.[citation needed] Today, the Czech Army has around 30.000 professional personnel and 4.900 members of active reserves. Additionally, any citizen can voluntarily join a five-weekbasic training without becoming a soldier[15] or join advanced shooting training with theirprivately owned firearms and become a member ofmilitia-styleDesignated Reserves.[16]
A law adopted in June 2023 stipulates that the military expenditures shall not be lower than 2% of country'sGDP, starting from 2024.[17] In March 2025,Petr Fiala Government adopted a decision to raise the military expenditures annually by 0,2% of GDP, in order to reach at least 3% of GDP in 2030.[18]
The military history of theCzech people dates back to theMiddle Ages and the creation of theDuchy of Bohemia and theKingdom of Bohemia. During theHussite Wars,Jan Žižka became a military leader of such skill and eminence that the Hussite legacy became an important and lasting part of the Czech military traditions.[19][20] The contemporary Czech Army derives its legacy from theproto-ProtestantHussite Army, with many of today's units bearing names in honour of Hussite Army personalities or formations.
When theWorld War I broke out, theCzech Crown lands were part of theAustria-Hungary and the colonised Czech population had to serve in its army. From 1914, on the background ofattempts to attain independence, various units composed of Czech nationals (with up to 10% ofSlovak nationals), mainly POWs, were established, fighting as part of the French, Italian and Russian forces against theEntente powers. Beginning in 1916, theseCzechoslovak Legions gained increasingly independent status. Following the 1918Czechoslovak declaration of independence, the newly established Czechoslovak Army derived its legacy primarily from these legions rather than from the Austrian Habsburg Imperial Army.
Official military names since 1918:
TheCzechoslovak Armed Forces were originally formed on 30 June 1918 when 6,000 members of theCzechoslovak Legion in France, which had been established in 1914, took oath and received a battle banner inDarney,France, thus preceding the officialdeclaration of Czechoslovak independence by four months. There were also 50 000 legion soldiers in Russia at that time. The military achievements of the Czechoslovak legions on theFrench,Italian and especiallyRussian front became one of the main arguments that the Czechoslovak pro-independence leaders, especially forT. G. Masaryk in America,[21] could use to gain the support for the country's independence by theAllies of World War I.
In 1938,servicemen of the Czechoslovak Army and theState Defense Guard fought in an undeclared border war against the German-backedSudetendeutsches Freikorps as well asPolish andHungarian paramilitary forces. As a result of theMunich Agreement, areas heavily populated by ethnicGerman speaking people were incorporated into theThird Reich and military-aged men living there were subject to being drafted into theWehrmacht. In 1939, after theSlovak State proclaimed its independence and the remainder ofCarpathian Ruthenia was occupied and annexed byHungary, theGerman occupation of the Czech Lands followed and theProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was proclaimed after the negotiations withEmil Hácha. The Protectorate's government possessed its own armed force, theGovernment Army (6,500 men), tasked with public security andrearguard duties. On the other side of the conflict, a number of Czechoslovak units and formations served with thePolish Army (Czechoslovak Legion), theFrench Army, theRoyal Air Force, theBritish Army (the1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade), and theRed Army (I Corps). Four Czech and Slovak-manned RAF squadrons were transferred to Czechoslovak control in late 1945.
From 1954[22] until 1989, the Army was known as theCzechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA).[23] Although the ČSLA, as formed in 1945, included both Soviet- and British-equipped/trained expatriate troops, the "Western" soldiers had been purged from the ČSLA after 1948 when thecommunists took power. The ČSLA offered no resistance to the invasion mounted by the Soviets in 1968 in reaction to the "Prague Spring", and was extensively reorganized by the Soviets following the re-imposition of communist rule in Prague.
Of the approximately 201,000 personnel on active duty in the ČSLA in 1987, about 145,000, or about 72 percent, served in the ground forces (commonly referred to as thearmy). About 100,000 of these were conscripts.[24] There were two military districts,Western andEastern. A 1989 listing of forces shows two Czechoslovak armies in the west, the1st Army atPříbram with one tank division and three motor rifle divisions, the4th Army atPísek with two tank divisions and two motor rifle divisions. In the Eastern Military District, there were two tank divisions, the13th and14th, with a supervisory headquarters atTrenčín in the Slovak part of the country.[25]
During theCold War, the ČSLA was equipped primarily with Soviet arms, although certain arms like theOT-64 SKOT armored personnel carrier, theL-29Delfín andL-39Albatros aircraft, theP-27Pancéřovka antitank rocket launcher, thevz. 58 assault rifle or theUk vz. 59 machine gun were of Czechoslovak design.
After the fall of communism during theVelvet Revolution in 1989, theCzechoslovak People's Army was renamed back to theCzechoslovak Army and was completely transformed as well.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2023) |
The Army of the Czech Republic was formed after the Czechoslovak Armed Forces split after the 31 December 1992 peaceful dissolution ofCzechoslovakia. Czech forces stood at 90,000 in 1993. They were reduced to around 65,000 in 11 combat brigades and the Air Force in 1997, to 63,601 in 1999,[26] and to 35,000 in 2005. At the same time, the forces were modernized and reoriented towards a defensive posture. In 2004, the army transformed itself into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The Army maintains an active reserve.
TheCzech Republic is a member of theUnited Nations and theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In March 1999, the Czech Republic joinedNATO. Since 1990, the ACR and the Czech Armed Forces have contributed to numerous peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, includingIFOR,SFOR, andEUFOR Althea inBosnia,Desert Shield/Desert Storm,Afghanistan,Kosovo,Albania,Turkey,Pakistan and with the Coalition forces inIraq.
Current deployments (2019):
Many of the duties of thePresident of the Czech Republic can be said to be ceremonial to one degree or another, especially since the President has relatively few powers independent of the will of thePrime Minister. One of those is the status ascommander in chief of the military; no part of these duties can take place but through the assent of the Prime Minister. In matters of war, he is in every sense merely afigurehead, since theConstitution gives all substantive constitutional authority over the use of the armed forces to theParliament.[27][28] In fact, the only specific thing the constitution allows the President to do with respect to the military is to appoint its generals – but even this must be done with the signature of the Prime Minister.[29]
Structure of the Czech Armed Forces consists of two main parts and other commands:[30]
Czech Land Forces (Olomouc)
Czech Air Force (Praha)Active Reserve (inCzechAktivní záloha) is a part of the otherwise professional Army of the Czech Republic. This service was created to allow the participation of citizens with a positive attitude to the military.
A volunteer needs either to have completed the compulsory military service (which ended in 2004) or to attend 6 week training. Then the reservists have to serve up to three weeks a year and can be called up to serve two weeks during a non-military crisis. They are not intended to serve abroad, but individuals may volunteer to do so. The Reserve presents itself on events likeBAHNA, a military show.
Each of the active duty brigades or regiments have their own active reserve subordinate units that train with the same equipment as the professional soldiers and is part of the organisational structure usually as a 4th company in a battalion.The Territorial Command is responsible for the active reserves and have direct control of the 14 infantry companies that belong to regional military commands in each of the 13 regions and capital city Prague.
The Army of the Czech Republic, to a large extent, currently uses equipment dating back to the times of theWarsaw Pact. During theCold War, Czechoslovakia was a major supplier of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, military trucks and trainer aircraft – the bulk of military exports went to itsComecon partners.[32] Replacement of aging or obsolete equipment, or making it at least compliant withNATO standards, is urgently required. Modernization plans include acquisition of new multi-role helicopters, transport aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, air defence radars and missiles. If possible, the Czech Ministry of Defence selects products that are manufactured or co-produced in the Czech Republic.[33] This includes firearms of theČeská zbrojovka Uherský Brod, namely theCZ 75 pistol,CZ Scorpion Evo 3 submachine gun, andCZ 805 BREN andBREN 2 assault rifles. Moreover, the Czech Army is equipped with about 3,000T810 andT815 vehicles of various modifications produced by the CzechTatra Trucks company.[34] Tatra Defence Vehicle factory ensures licensed production ofPandur II andTitus armoured vehicles. Aircraft such as theAero L-39 Albatros,Aero L-159 Alca andLet L-410 Turbolet have been produced domestically as well.
At the beginning of 2019, the Czech Ministry of Defence announced its modernization program, consisting of acquiring 210 new modern IFVs as a replacement for the agingBVP-2. MoD approached four manufacturers:BAE Systems (CV90),GDELS (ASCOD),Rheinmetall (Lynx) and PSM (Puma). The cost of the program is expected to exceed 50 billionCZK.[35]
In May 2022 the Czech Ministry of Defence announced it will get 15 Leopards 2A4 from Germany as an exchange for Czech tanks that will be given to Ukraine to help defend against Russian invasion and will purchase up to 50 modern 2A7+ variants later.[36][37]
Different types of Czech Army uniforms:
.jpg)
.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
_logo.svg){kind=logo}
