CZ

REPUB H EC

LIC

WE HAVE COMMITMENTS TO MEET

1/2010

New Minister of Defence introduced in to his Office

We have commitments to meet
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Necas, introduced Dr. Alexandr Vondra to the ofce of Minister of Defence following the appointment of new Czech Cabinet by the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus on July 13, 2010. Prime Minister Necas said in his remarks that Dr. Alexandr Vondra had worked in foreign and security elds for almost twenty years and represented a high added value for the MoD department. At the same time, he thanked outgoing Minister Bartak for his high-quality performance. PM Necas conrmed that the department of defence faced challenging tasks. As to international commitments of the Czech Republic, we must remain a reliable partner, we must keep participating in foreign operations in a credible manner. At the same time the defence department must be able to handle budget restrictions and the process of making nancial ows and acquisitions more transparent must continue, not only at the MoD, but across governmental departments and agencies. Dr. Alexandr Vondra in his rst address as the Minister of Defence thanked the outgoing minister Martin Bartak for his endeavour in national defence. He said that we faced huge budget cuts but he did not want to put defence of this country in danger. I do not want to cut muscle, but fat if necessary. I do not want the cuts be done indiscriminately and impair the lowest ranks only. The new defence minister stressed the defence department needed support from the public, without which it would be able to sustain development of the military, and at the same time it needed stability and guarantees for those who are serious about defence of the Czech Republic and its international commitments. In the process of assuming the ofce of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Alexandr Vondra gave an interview to www.army.cz the following is an abbreviated version: Minister, what changes have been the key ones in the development of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic over the past twenty years? There are three breaking points in my view: progressive downsizing of the excessively large armed forces, joining NATO including deployments for major international operations and transitioning to all-volunteer force. These three steps were essential and correct. But unfortunately not all the reforms were performed with a clear vision. Some decisions were voluntaristic and rather close to improvising, while we keep repying the arising dues arising to date. In a way, we are still lacking a clear answer to the key question: what do we have the military for and what for we will be using it over the next fteen to twenty years. We owe the answer and we must offer it both to soldiers inside and the public outside, because we will not do without their support. What will be the 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 ofcers 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.

How will you resist the pressure of your coalition partners aiming to obtain necessary funding by curtailing defence appropriations? The crisis forces us to seek savings in the long run. But the crisis is also an opportunity. Defence cuts may not go on forever; we should stabilise them instead. The practice of everyone in need of quick funds grabbing for the Ministry of Defences budget must simply be brought to an end. Armed Forces development planning period may not be limited just to twelve months, and change the amount of funding every year. We also have commitments to our NATO Allies to meet. We must deliver them and not hamper on our credit as a reliable Ally with ill-considered scal planning. What concept should the Armed Forces have all-service or specialised? Today we are somewhere between all-service and specialised armed forces. While niche specialisation is logical in todays security environment, the armed forces must not lose its core functions protection of our national territory. We are neither cancelling ghters nor tanks. Before we decide to pursue the path of specialisation, there must be a clear vision why we do so and what price tag will there be for us in the future to pay. At the same time, we must have assurances that our Allies will help us including in instances when we will not have certain capabilities ourselves.

NATO highly values Czech contributions to operations ................................................... Three days in Operation ISAF ........................... Looking Ten Years Ahead.................................. In AWACS over Europe ..................................... Czech Republic successful in addressing a major NATO challenge .............. Mountains and Sand Checking Czechs .............. Crisis Management Brussels style ................. Caring for Security and Cooperation ................. OSCE ............................................................. The Drill thats going to Pay .............................. Journey to Millie Paygham ................................ Architects of International Relations ................ Multinational Logistic Coordination Center: One Step Closer................................... Safeguarding Part of the Sky ............................ Every Mission Unique ...................................... Like Playing a Computer Game ......................... Two Years of OMeLeTte .................................... Bozena at the Jordan River ...............................

Contents

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Events

CZECH ARMED FORCES REVIEW 1/2010 Published by Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, Presentation and Information Centre Address: Rooseveltova 23 161 05 Praha 6 Czech Republic Tel.: + 420-973 215 553 Tel./fax: + 420-973 215 569 E-mail: caft@army.cz Identication number: 60162694 www.army.cz

The Chairman of NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, arrived Prague July 15, 2010, for a two-day visit of the Czech Republic.

NATO highly values Czech contributions to operations

Friday, July 16, 2010, Admiral Di Paola attended an ofcial welcoming ceremony with military honours in the Honorary Courtyard of the Vtkov National Memorial Memorial, 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 Vtkov.

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 potential of national economy, General Picek stressed. Admiral Di Paolas military service career has been extremely rich - he commanded Cappelini and Sauro submarines as well as Garibaldi aircraft carrier and served in senior positions of the Italian Ministry of Defence and Defence Staff. In a press conference he stated: As a NATO representative, I would like to say that the Alliance is very grateful for all contributions the Czech Republic is providing into operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Despite the difcult economic situation impacting on other Allies alike, NATO remains very grateful for your participation in those efforts. The Chairman of NATOs Military Committee also said increasing the number of instructors in Afghanistan was an important moment on the way towards improving security situation in the country. As to NATOs requirements addressed to the Czech Republic, they are the same as requirements addressed to all other Allies, and it is up to each NATO nation how those contributions will be realised. But Afghanistan remains operational priority

number one. Presently, it is essential to invest into training Afghani National Security Forces. Secure future of Afghanistan is also a secure future for us. In case savings are needed, the restrictions should be done in overhead and administrative functions, not operations, Admiral Di Paola stressed. On Friday, the Chairman of NATOs Military Committee had a call on the Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra at the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Their discussion covered the involvement of Czech Armed Ofcers in international efforts, primarily Operation ISAF in Afghanistan, and the ongoing transformation of Czech Armed Forces. The Czech Republic will send a new unit to Afghanistan an operational mentoring and liaison team to provide training to Afghani National Army personnel. A ftymember team to operate in the Wardak Province in Afghanistan will deploy in a September timeframe. The new deployment, however, ts within the number of service personnel in foreign operations mandated by the Parliament for 2010. The schedule of Admiral Di Paolas visit also included a brief call with the President of the Czech Republic, Vclav Klaus. www.army.cz photos by Marie Kov and MoD PIC

23

Date of publication: July 2010 Editor-in-chief: Jan Prochzka Layout: Jitka Oktbcov Translation: Jan Jindra Printed by: EUROPRINT, a. s.

NATO Integration

Since April, Major Milan Voj ek has been an operation pilot of the E-3A AWACS airborne warning and control system aircraft, while the Czech Republic is in sight of its full membership in the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control program (NAEW&C)

In AWACS over Europe

10

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 trafc controller sounds in the headset of the pilot, Major Milan Vojek. 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 ight level. It is about ninety minutes before todays destination in Norway is reached.

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Deployed Operations

Firing the M2HB-QCB heavy machine gun mounted on Iveco light armoured vehicles is very accurate and relatively comfy.

Like Playing a Computer Game

We are allocated frequencies we must be permanently available at, and lets go. We will be shooting nearly all weapons used by the contingent: Glock 17 pistols, Sa-58 ries, Minimi, MG3 and M2HB 12.7-mm machine guns, Sako and Falkon sniper ries, 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 ofcer responsible for todays ring practise, WO Zdenk 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 shortrange practise is possible there.

Distributed by PIC MO: Rooseveltova 23 161 05 Praha 6 Czech Republic Tel.: + 420-973 215 602 Registration number: MK R E 18227 ISSN 1803-2125

We left blast walls ringing Camp Shank and headed south down the Road Utah. An extraordinary long convoy of Humvee, Dingo and Iveco co armoured vehicles indicates that this time it is neither a patrol nor an escort ort convoy. Service ruction Team (PRT) personnel of the 5th contingent the Provincial Reconstruction 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 its 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 bres with teeth and let it in the mouth for a while, until saliva increases its volume.

HARRY POTTER SHOOTING RANGE

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.

MoD Czech Republic Presentation and Information Centre

www.army.cz photos by Marie Kov

56

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 rst need to pass Camp Altimur. The fortication 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.

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Cover photos by Jan Prochzka

Events

The Chairman of NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, arrived Prague July 15, 2010, for a two-day visit of the Czech Republic.

NATO highly values Czech contributions to operations

Friday, July 16, 2010, Admiral Di Paola attended an ofcial welcoming ceremony with military honours in the Honorary Courtyard of the Vtkov National Memorial Memorial, 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 Vtkov.

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 potential of national economy, General Picek stressed. Admiral Di Paolas military service career has been extremely rich - he commanded Cappelini and Sauro submarines as well as Garibaldi aircraft carrier and served in senior positions of the Italian Ministry of Defence and Defence Staff. In a press conference he stated: As a NATO representative, I would like to say that the Alliance is very grateful for all contributions the Czech Republic is providing into operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Despite the difcult economic situation impacting on other Allies alike, NATO remains very grateful for your participation in those efforts. The Chairman of NATOs Military Committee also said increasing the number of instructors in Afghanistan was an important moment on the way towards improving security situation in the country. As to NATOs requirements addressed to the Czech Republic, they are the same as requirements addressed to all other Allies, and it is up to each NATO nation how those contributions will be realised. But Afghanistan remains operational priority

number one. Presently, it is essential to invest into training Afghani National Security Forces. Secure future of Afghanistan is also a secure future for us. In case savings are needed, the restrictions should be done in overhead and administrative functions, not operations, Admiral Di Paola stressed. On Friday, the Chairman of NATOs Military Committee had a call on the Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra at the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Their discussion covered the involvement of Czech Armed Ofcers in international efforts, primarily Operation ISAF in Afghanistan, and the ongoing transformation of Czech Armed Forces. The Czech Republic will send a new unit to Afghanistan an operational mentoring and liaison team to provide training to Afghani National Army personnel. A ftymember team to operate in the Wardak Province in Afghanistan will deploy in a September timeframe. The new deployment, however, ts within the number of service personnel in foreign operations mandated by the Parliament for 2010. The schedule of Admiral Di Paolas visit also included a brief call with the President of the Czech Republic, Vclav Klaus. www.army.cz photos by Marie Kov and MoD PIC

Deployed Operations

Three days in Operation ISAF

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 ANYWHERE
The rst stop was made at the 2nd Czech Armed Forces contingent ISAF HELI UNIT in the Paktika province in the east of the country. Commander of the helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Lieutenant-Colonel Milan Koutn, briefed the members of General Piceks team on the contingents operational capabilities, as well as minor shortcomings the contingent is able to handle inight. 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 assignment is performed here and express my personal support to your duties. The motto that your unit boasts: Nothing is impossible, anytime anywhere are not just words. Along with the contingent commander and other members of his team, General Picek then visited the Commander U.S. Task Force Timberwolf and Commander of the base the Czech helicopter unit operates from, Brigadier Charles Martin, who told the delegation the Czech helicopter forces performance had been excellent.

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 focuses on suspect apprehension, vehicle checking and countering victim-borne improvised explosive devices. Recent numbers show fifty-four Afghans out of 56, who received a training course completion certificate, and were issued a tactical vest, helmet, gloves, field uniform, handcuffs and sports and protective aids. Aged between 26 and 30 on average, the Afghans - new protectors of law and order in the country regard the certificate award ceremony a very important event. I would like to thank all of you for a job well done; I follow new developments in your area in a very aggravated security situation every day. You are right, and Colonel Johnson conrmed what you said, that cooperation of Czech soldiers with their U.S. colleagues is presently the best of all joint Czech-U.S. endeavours in this province. I know your motto is Humbleness Modesty Humanity. On the whole, you are evaluated as one of the best PRTs and that is appreciated at all levels. So I would add to your motto: and diligence, General Picek concluded both his evening brieng and the second day of his inspection trip.

PRECISION AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS

On the third day of his visit, General Picek travelled to the 3rd Czech Armed Forces Contingent NSE and CBRN defence unit in Operation ISAF stationed at KAIA. The morning meeting involving General Picek and Chief of General Staff of Afghanistan, General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, primarily covered cooperation between the two countries, specically as concerns training

Mi-24 helicopter pilots and further opportunities to train pilots on Mi-17 Hinds. In an informal meeting with Commander ISAF Operation Headquarters General David M. Rodriguez, the Czech delegation was updated on current situation in Afghanistan. General Picek also met the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Afghanistan, H.E. Petr Pelz. A short brieng by Lieutenant-Colonel Josef imnek, the Commander the 3rd Czech Armed Forces NSE contingent, followed in the afternoon at KAIA. A new element in the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic was the brieng by Deputy Chief of General Staff Director of MoD Joint Operations Center, Brigadier General Ale Opata to General Picek on the nal report produced by the Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT) tasked to evaluate individual areas of vulnerability and weaknesses of deployments in performance of missions and assignments in Operation ISAF, propose systemic measures to increase their protection and also present proposals to redress shortcomings and recommendation on implementing lessons-learnt into training or introducing new materiel into inventory. The VAT replaced the obsolete system of evaluating and inspection of foreign deployments by the means of methodology assistance and subject-matter inspections that judged mission performance from the viewpoint of peacetime status, not in the perspective of combat deployment of Czech forces in a real operation. Service personnel of the 3rd Czech Armed Forces contingent and CBRN Defence unit in Operation ISAF surprised the Chief of General Staff with their precision and outstanding organisational skills. Before his departure to the Czech Republic, he made a farewell with them saying: You have neither any motto, nor slogan, but you were simply born with precision and organisational skills. by Mira Tebick, Communication Manager of the Chief of General Staff ACR

Interview for REVIEW

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

It just takes one security turnstile and a couple of doors to make it from the Defence Ministry entry gate into the ofce of Mr. Ivan Dvok. Just several dozen steps and you stand face-to-face with him. The more demanding however is to nd an empty slot in the sequence, as the schedule of Assistant 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 Defence and the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, do you consider yourself a man of inuence? I have never understood my endeavour in the MoD Department as some sort of ghting for inuence; in other words, I do not make any distinction among capacities with higher or lower inuence. Any one individual or functionary, be they military professionals or civilian employees, has relevant responsibilities and duties assigned and it is up to the individual what quality standards he or she will perform their job at. At the moment, I am in the head of the Defence Ministrys Defence Policy and Strategy Division and I am assigned completely specic tasks, a specic 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 Ministers 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 Republics interests in the sessions of the High Level Group (HLG) on NATOs nuclear policy, which is increasingly gaining on importance, especially now before the adoption of NATOs new Strategic Concept. In addition to that, I sit on the Defence Group on Proliferation (DGP) or attend meetings of both NATO and EU Defence Policy Directors. I develop plans of ofcial foreign relations for approval by my bosses, I approve bilateral cooperation plans, I steer the Defence coordination group on foreign cooperation and supervise groups of defence advisors working at Czech Republics missions in foreign countries falling into my responsibility. I am also in charge of MoD positions and documents for the sessions of the National Security Council, committees of the Parliament of the Czech Republic or defence policy related bills to

be p be presented rese re sent ted di in n se sess sessions ssi ss ions o ions io of f th the e Ca C Cabi Cabinet. abi bine net ne t. B t. Besides, esid es ides id es, es , I am charged to lead the secretariat of Defence Planning Committee, including cooperation with appropriate bodies of Ministries and other governmental agencies. The whole broad MoD DPSD agenda is pursued by many experienced and highly qualied experts, so I would not like just my person to be in the fore. Now, many defence personnel do not have a clue what defence policy and strategy of the Ministry of Defence actually entails MoD DPSD is responsible for shaping principles of the Czech Republics defence and security policy, of the MoD Departments strategic development and national defence planning principles. We develop the key strategic policies in this respect. A clearer picture is gained breaking down the Divisions structure, which automatically provides the workings. The Division comprises of the Defence Policy Department formed by the defence policy

section and the international relations section; of sect cti tio ion an ion d th e in i int nte ternat tern ati tio iona iona nal l re rel lati lati la tion ons on s se cti ct tio ion; ion n; o f the Strategic Development Department with MoD planning and development section, strategic capability development section and national defence planning and crisis management section. In addition to those two departments, the MoD DPSD comprises three sections: international law section, strategic analyses section and organisational development section. Let me underscore that the service we provide to top MoD and state ofcials includes development of subject-matter agenda for their meetings. We prepare specialist recommendations to inform decision-making. I can give you the responsibilities for all the mentioned components in detail, if you will. My apologies, but that would be too much to t into our periodicals. Could rather you tell how much down the road do you plan? Planning runs in cycles and covers the medium term of ve years. Nevertheless, we also develop broader-based 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 Republics Defence Strategy in the follow-up to NATOs 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 MoDs longterm visions? It will denitely 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

Interview for REVIEW

debates on NATOs Strategic Concept and, consequently, into national security or indeed defence strategies. The existing analyses and positions may be reviewed. We reiterated on a sustained basis that we are committed to working with the Russian Federation. We regard Russia as a partner but the important thing is that Russia would perceive us as a partner too. Our cooperation should be two-way; it is not about a zero-sum game. The Czech Minister of Defence and the U.S. Secretary of Defense also signed an important agreement in the beginning of June; it even received comments on its signing that we have ranked among the elite. Where do you think the key importance is of the bilateral Agreement on Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation? Importance of the agreement is highlighted by the very fact that it was personally signed by defence ministers of the two countries which is not quite commonplace with other agreements. Signing the agreement means both parties reafrmed their exclusive mutual defence relationship and plus the focus on research and technology enjoys a very high attention on both sides. Moreover, the agreement provides opportunities for organisations and individuals outside the defence sector to become involved in research and development projects. A wide range of both political leaders and military commanders visited the Czech Ministry of Defence. We expect that the situation in Afghanistan was one of the central issues entertained. Could you elaborate on what those meetings discussed? That is the case, because we continue regard Afghanistan a high priority. Everybody agrees that this year is the key one. The discussions chiey resound the issue of increasing troop contributions by individual NATO nations, especially with a view to deploying training 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 NATOs Military

Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, who visited the Czech Republic in mid-July. What was the attitude of Admiral Di Paola on the Czech position and the promise to send a training team? Admiral Di Paola has an in-depth familiarity with our plans and he said on several occasions during his visit he highly valued our focus. All senior MoD ofcials meeting the Admiral reafrmed the intent despite nancial difculties we have been facing. He also appreciated the fact that we would send, in September later this year as we promised, an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) in the Wardak Province. The Parliament of the Czech Republic mandated the Armed Forces to deploy up to 535 service personnel in 2010 as a ceiling. Does the authorised number need to lled immediately upon endorsement? The mandate is given for the whole calendar year. It does not mean that all task forces would deploy at January the rst. That is also the case of the mentioned Czech Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) for a Kandak (battalion equivalent) of the Afghan

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 rst interview after assuming the ofce: 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 day. What about the future of Czech Armed Forces contingents in Kosovo? Security situation in Kosovo is getting stable, which enables downsizing the KFOR personnel substantially. Recommendation is being developed for proceeding to Gate 2, which in fact represents having roughly ve and a half thousand Allied soldiers in Kosovo. We will not see the Czech contingent closing down Camp Sajkovac this year, as we will be taking over the role of battalion-size operational reserve force. We plan to conclude the Czech contingents eleven years of operation then, while we expect to maintain our representation in international staffs there in the years ahead.

Let us get back to the homeland. Browsing long term visions of the MoD Department, do you nd there any more reorganisations or restrictions? A major challenge the MoD Department has faced over the past couple of years the instability of defence appropriations. With economic downturn on and public budget decit increasing, it is an unpleasant situation, but it is for real, and we have to be able to cope with it. We need to identify ways and areas with potential for savings to be achieved. But it is clear at this time that if we want to carry on delivering on our mandatory duties and international commitments, we will still need to cut some structures of the MoD Department. That involves components that are essentially non-deployable, including staffs as well as overhead and administrative 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 specic 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 condent we have the potential to play an important role in developing the policy document at hand. by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka photos by Jan Kouba and Vladimr Marek

NATO Integration

Since April, Major Milan Vojek has been an operation pilot of the E-3A AWACS airborne warning and control system aircraft, while the Czech Republic is in sight of its full membership in the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control program (NAEW&C)

In AWACS

10 10

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 trafc controller sounds in the headset of the pilot, Major Milan Vojek. 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 ight level. It is about ninety minutes before todays destination in Norway is reached.

over Europe

11 11

NATO Integration

First laurels reaped! The Czech Republic already does have a pilot of the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The individual is Major Milan Vojek, currently a member of the Tiger 1st Flying Squadron of the NATO E-3A Component based in the vicinity of Geilenkirchen, Germany. Having previously served at Kbely, the pilot now takes turns in being seated, from April earlier this year, in the right and left seat in the AWACS cockpit in the position of rst pilot and airplane captain in training. But that is not the nal objective either. His ight training on the old lady with the dish goes on intensively.

course at the Training Wing. Another clean product of the ight training factory was out, he laughs and admits in the retrospect that he has not been through anything more demanding in his aviator profession. The rst day of April was not All Fools Day for him but a prestigious day. He joined the 1st Operation Squadron as rst pilot. There is no time for ceremonies here. Squadron personnel change as frequently as every two weeks. Those going out put beers and pizza on the bar and receive a plaque from the commander. Incomers just introduce themselves briey, MAJ Vojek explains and describes what awaits him down the road. I need to attain the combat ready status within six months. It got stuck at the moment on the completion of ground preparation. But I have already completed several ights on the left, as the captain. In order for it to become a permanent matter, I need to meet a whole number of other criteria. I estimate the captain seat within eighteen months; it represents another huge effort. Here, you do not get any alleviation, you rather get some more tasking.

LANDING WITH ENGINE OFF

How does it feel like to y an AWACS? Frankly, it is much more demanding than I thought it would be. Ranging from the absence of hydraulic actuators during piloting to a long period of time spent onboard. Everything is based on a good knowledge of the performance parameters. AWACS is a machine working on modes. If you set the right gures in specic situations, the airplane will respond the way it is expected to, MAJ Vojek elaborates and emphasises the pilots professional performance. The airplane is typical with its general inertia; you need to wait patiently for its response after you have taken action. Fitfulness is not desirable in ight control, you need to y in a relaxed manner despite holding such a mammoth on the yoke. The practical experience allows him to compare piloting of Boeing with the dish and the TCA (Training and Cargo Aircraft) seven-o-seven. The TCA is like a sport car in this respect, in other

END TW DRILL
I have gone through hell, MAJ Vojek describes with obvious exaggeration the six-month drill in the Training Wing (TW). After the initial theoretical prologue covering the material part of AWACS, the so-called simulation stage followed. That encompasses the total of sixteen simulator missions both as a rst pilot and as airplane captain. They cover management of emergencies in ight. There are dened procedures for all emergencies that pilots have to have appropriate knowledge about, but primarily he must be able to perform them. An effective and sophisticated academic training system is continuously overseen by instructors and other ight training specialists. Checking our any of our knowledge and skills may take place anytime, the Czech military pilot says and concludes it was often more demanding to manage piloting the simulator than the real AWACS. MAJ Vojek completed the January testing on the sim successfully. His next assignment was nevertheless more engaging a bit: eight training ights on a real seven-oseven, again concluded by a test. The rst try that trainees have to pass did not come out well for MAJ Vojek; but second time he succeeded. The nal comprehensive piloting techniques test likewise. The last day of March, he could nally draw a deep breadth and relax a bit as he successfully completed the basic training

12 12

words much faster. You really feel the absence of the radar antenna. Previous experience with ying the L-39 Albatross trainer jets comes useful, he argues. The Czech pilot goes on reviewing his endeavour. His description of the existing ight effort results in at least two conclusions. The training mission nale involves an approach at some of the European airports and repeated take-off from the local runway. The rst part is often performed with one engine off, the second one at full throttle on all AWACS engines. Why do we train this? It is reality that has happened on several occasions already. I am no exception to that. For clear reasons, Major Vojek is not rather eager to discuss the conk-out. But he eventually consents and describes a recent case. We performed repeated takeoff from runway in Geilenkirchen and one engine went off in the most critical phase. The airplane tended to drive off the runway. Our reaction needed to be quick and in compliance with regulations. Within four seconds we assessed the situation and performed required action onboard. We managed to handle it well and we got the machine airborne with three engines. Flying with one engine conked out, you are

readying yourselves another one may go off and you will be landing with two engines on only. Luckily that did not happen. We only lled in a safety report after landing. That is not a reason to stop training at the component. It is like a bass guitar with one string broken. You play using the other three.

NEXT CHALLENGE? REFUELLING

A view of the apron at the MOB (Main Operating Base) in Geilenkirchen may be surprising to some. Despite the NATO E-3A Component registers 17 AWACS aircraft in its inventory, the apron is nearly empty. Why? The machines are deployed at three FOBs (Forward Operating Base) in Trapani (Italy), Konya (Turkey), Aktion (Greece) and Oerland (Norway). In addition to that, some of the aircraft participate in NATO exercises or undergo maintenance. It is not that easy to nd suitable locations for our ight training every day. Given the AWACS performance data, we have specic limits for landings and takeoffs. We most frequently operate at airports in the Federal Republic of Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg. We are also planning to provide support 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 hours ight from the designated refuelling area covered by the U.S. Air National Guard KC-135 tankers, MAJ Vojek adds and states that air-to-air refuelling training is the next challenge for him. Inight refuelling is solely the captains responsibility. You get your 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 ll that

13 13

NATO Integration

period of time? We support the so-called mission crew. In windows where there are no ight activities involving combat aircraft, we practise emergency procedures onboard. Their frequency and type is not limited. It is denitely not boring to be on an operation ight, argues the Czech Air Force pilot, for whom the multinational environment of the unit in Geilenkirchen became its second home. My colleagues positive attitude and their seless help in any situation are a great impulse for me. Counting in my excellent family and onehundred percent service provided by the Czech support component at Joint Force Command Headquarters in Brunssum, Netherlands, I am managing to accomplish my professional assignments.

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. Ji Bedn, 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. Bedn, 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 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 afrmation of our accession to the program. For Mr. Bedn, the rst half of 2010 was marked with big, substantial changes he says. I had a chance to gain insight into many circumstances and details, whose knowledge and understanding enables us a more quality engagement. The positive aspect is the Czech Republic enjoys the treatment as a member, as contributing nation that seeks to make use of all possibilities the program is offering. Indeed, those opportunities represent a range of offers for the Czech Republic, its Armed Forces and chiey for Czech enterprises to join industrial

cooperation programs. For the time being, this is the question of possible future cooperation according to Mr. Bedn, but it is essential to identify areas for Czech involvement to consider already at this stage. The NAEW&C program is one a few projects you do not only contribute in, but can also benefit from. In practical terms: if you meet all the tough conditions applying mainly to aerospace industries, you stand a real chance of getting into green figures overall. No work no rewards applies fully. Despite we are still an observer on the programme, still before the door, we seek to cover both industrial cooperation groups. The rst one, the Industry Benet Group, engages in the sphere of ight operations support. The other one called Industry Participation is the part where direct involvement of Czech manufacturing centers comes into play. Specic 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. Bedn unveils what is behind the scenes in Brunssum and adds: Everything must be suited to operating as a part of trafc over Europe. The trafc 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, specically 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. Bedn says by the way of conclusion, and adds: I am just a feeler that identies 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 ofce doors both at Brunssum and Geilenkirchen are open. It only takes the notional legal act - signing the Czech Republics 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 Prochzka photos by Jan Kouba and NATO E-3A Component

15 15

Multinational Effort

Czech Republic successful in addressing major NATO challenge

Prague was the venue to a two-day international conference on the helicopter initiative named HIP Helicopter Conference 2010 - Benets 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 todays 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 nance the special equipment the Czech Republic integrated on the upgraded Mi171Sh helicopters. We have successfully modernised ve Mi-171Sh helicopters and deployed three of them

16

in Afghanistan starting January 2010 to provide air mobility for both NATO Allies and the Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team, Deputy Defence Minister for Foreign Affairs Jan Fulk said. The Czech Republic is currently in position to share its know-how with other NATO nations. We are presently offering our services to Hungary and Bulgaria, stated Jan Fulk and added that those countries were also considering deployment of their helicopters in Afghanistan, but they had not proceeded as far as the Czech Republic did. The helicopter initiative the Czech Republic is leading has ten members so far. Apart from V4 states, the initiative also associates big nations with large defence budgets: the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey and Norway.

It is matter of days before the U.S. ratify their accession to the agreement, Jan Fulk unveiled. According to the Director of MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division, Mr. Ivan Dvok, the U.S. membership in the initiative would bring both prestige and engagement of worlds leading scientists, designers, pilots and ground personnel, who rank among the true elite. At the end of the day, it may also entail the accession of other countries, Dvok said. Taking place in Prague from March 2nd, 2010, the twoday conference was primarily a lesson sharing exercise according to Mr. Fulk. Apart from representatives of individual nations, the conference was attended by leading ofcials and experts of both NATO and the European Defence Agency. Jan Fulk and Ivan Dvok agreed the conference was highly successful. They said individual contributions conrmed 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 nancial contributions, training facilities or maintenance capacity to meet the common goal. by Olga Haladov

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Predeployment Training

The AZOR exercise put readiness of helicopter aircrews to a test prior to their deployment for operations in Afghanistan

Mountains and Sand

18

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 Perov and Nm Air Force Bases focused on practising operational and tactical procedures used in deployed operations, especially in ISAF.

Checking Czechs

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Predeployment Training

A 55-member Czech Armed Forces contingent travelled to the exercise venue, the Logrono-Agoncillo airbase in Spain, both on land (some 2,230 km from Prague) and by air with stopover in Phalsbourg, France. The flight formation comprised three Mi-171Sh helicopters and two Mi-24/35 gunships. Aircrews from the Perov and Nm air units comprise Czech Armed Forces personnel scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan, specifically as a part of the third and fourth rotation of the Czech HELI UNIT at Sharana base and in the Air Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) in Kabul. The exercise is designed to train helicopter aircrews in mountain flights and mountain landings at elevations exceeding two thousand metres above sea level as well as take-offs and landings in dusty environments both day and night with night vision goggles - NVGs, says Colonel Jaromr ebesta, the Czech force commander, and specifies that the flight personnel on one-seven-ones would be replaced halfway through the exercise. Four aircrews slated for the third rotation will be replaced with their colleagues from the fourth contingent manning the HELI UNIT. As a matter of fact, two rehearsals for Afghanistan will be performed in a single helicopter exercise. I regard it a highly effective way to gain additional practical experience, COL ebesta stated. AZOR 2010 was not a Czech-only event. The Armed Forces of Austria, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Spain also sent helicopter units with hardware for such specialised training. The grass apron at the Logrono-Agoncillo Main Operation Base offered a review of A-109, AB-212, NH-90, AS-332, AS532 or SH3-D Sea King rotary-wing aircraft.

JOINT PROJECT
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 Vladimr ilhan, 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, Vladimr ilhan species 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 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

and aircrews from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary and Spain in French Alps in March 2009. Beginning in 2011, the HTP document envisions to transition to organising two exercises a year. Spain, Italy, Sweden and Belgium have offered training areas suitable for organising training events and Germany volunteered to arrange the simulation exercise. The focus of individual exercises should differ in order to progressively practise as many operational procedures as possible. While the exercise in Spain, for instance, accentuated individual aircrew training, the effort in Italy is to practise joint tactics, techniques and procedures for support helicopters and multinational missions performed by various types of rotary wing aircraft together. The greatest challenge EDA seeks to pursue as a part of planned exercises and symposiums is work to progressively do away with differences in effective national ight standards, rules and procedures having a potential to hamper on combined operations by multinational formations, Colonel ilhan says.

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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 y dust here. Flight activities start at 9 a.m. and often last as late as till 4 a.m. In the preight 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 oneseven-ones and one thirty-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 overy 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 them m set off for the allocated route into one of f the zones in the local military training area. The number of helicopters every y nation may send to action at a time e is limited to three. There is a high quantity of machines

here for the exercise and the thing is to distribute the operating areas among ourselves in an optimal manner, ou Colonel ebesta elabora elaborates. Meanwhile, each eac captain of the three Czech helicopters chos chose his spot and starts practising that involves s several repeated landings and take-offs in the dust. Sure w we are not going in for it without prepping ourselves. Flight personnel have pr prepared themselves for these specic activities on a consistent basis according to prescribed methodology and San Gregorio is metho only th the nale. All of the pilots have already own a number of exercises that sim simulated dust back in the Czech Republic. Republic This years winter helped us in that sense. There was a good quantity se of powde powder snow, which enabled us to increase t training intensity. The ying is very similar, states the commander of Czech sta Armed Forces helicopter contingent. helico What is peculiar a about ying in the dust? Major Robert P. offers the following description: In the nal stage of landing landin you are getting to altitude of several metres at a, minimum speed. The pilot still hangs on his reference point on the ground re and listens for the instructions by the gunner who in

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Predeployment Training

leans out of the door. The manoeuvre must be performed exactly according to relevant procedures. If you make a slightest mistake, you get packed at once and you lose visual contact with the ground. That may however only last a limited period of time, generally one or two seconds. Then the machine must safely transition into climb, get off the cloud and repeat landing. There is neither time for experimentation nor for waiting. Instances of undesired contact with the ground are frequent. Practical experience of the helicopter captain and a concerted effort of the whole crew onboard is what matters, says the experienced military pilot, who presently fulls operational assignment in Operation ISAF in Afghanistan. To complete the picture: the aircrew performs about two landings on average in one ight window into dust in various location of the Spanish training area.

AT NIGHT AND WITH GOGGLES

As a matter of fact, the above-mentioned example involving a single helicopter was not the most demanding episode in exercise AZOR 2010. Landing of a pair of Mi171Sh and 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 ftymetre clearance between their rotors, it is necessary to follow the procedures that have a single primary focus not to endanger one another with the dust cloud. Each number two seeks to land before number one. Although we have been training it all week long, there is no stereotype, because every landing is unique. We also practise that one machine lands into the dust and the other one provides cover from the air before possible enemy re. Although lessons our colleagues in the rst and second rotation in Afghanistan learnt conclude that they mostly land on paved areas, we must be ready for all contingencies. While little mistakes may creep in here in San Gregorio, it is not acceptable at Sharana. We must be in the right place at the right time, pilots of the 23rd Helicopter Air Force Base say in unison. After familiarisation flights at day, two Mi-171Sh aircrews are up for night flights using NVGs. There is a big difference between flying at day and at night. Everything is based on the light conditions: if they are good, pilots see near real-world picture in NVGs in grey

on a green background. Otherwise, it looks like spilt milk, Captain Ladislav B. explains and points out some specificities of night operations. The wingman must not let the lead lose, while he must observe the horizontal and vertical separation limits. The leader always has to keep in mind that he has the second machine at his back and manoeuvre accordingly. We go together at 450 feet above the ground that has a completely different profile than in the Czech Republic and it is therefore critical to perform all actions with double precision. The intake of dust at night is much bigger than at day. The use of helicopter lights is also critical. If you get into a cloud, all the light emitted by the chopper is reflected into the goggles and reduces its effectiveness, states squadron chief navigator, for whom the HELI UNIT in Afghanistan is already the fourth foreign tour.

DUST LIKE SNOW

San Gregorio is the premiere event for the pilots of thirty-fivers from Nm 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,

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concludes Major Petr Juraka, who has already served one four-month tour at the Kabul International Airport. Although procedures used for landing in sand and in dust are nearly identical, the experienced pilot of the 221st helicopter Squadron is happy with any ight conducted. We have drilled landings in snow back in the Czech Republic, but whilst here, helicopter captains are able to check on their own in many instances whether their chosen way would lead them to a touch-down in the dust or not. They can see immediately whether they have mastered it or not. Either they land safely on the ground or they have to take the helicopter out of the dust cloud using instruments. It does not really matter whether you complete ten or twelve landings in an hour; the key is an effective sequence of action.

BRILLIANT LOGISTIC SUPPORT

Ofcers in charge of logistic support, whose mission was to ensure that helicopter aircrews and technical personnel had all provisions necessary, were largely involved in preparing for the exercise already from the initial planning conference. Major Tobi Dostalk, 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 fty helicopters and eight hundred personnel in total, said Major Dostalk at the Spanish airbase and commented on the Czech participation: At the main planning conference held already here at Logroo, we were told that our limit would be fty personnel and three helicopters. With

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 fty-ve personnel and 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 ofcers. There is a single standard form for logistic support used throughout the NATO Alliance. A new form was specically created here at Logrono, which did not differ substantially from the NATO form, so it was neither difcult nor time-consuming to ll them in, Major Dostalk expands. The advantage for supporting the Czech helicopter unit was that Spain, acting as the host nation, provided a number of support elements. We only moved in basic materiel, necessary helicopter spare parts and essential provisions to provide full maintenance and service, the logistician adds. In terms of supporting the involved units logistically, the Czech units participation in the AZOR 2010 international exercise reconrmed that storing and transporting necessary materiel using containers was the right way ahead. We will again seek to initiate procurement of containers and suitable boxes ensuring a safe storage of movement-sensitive materiel, MAJ Dostalk says. Containers for storing and transportation are a standard in many NATO and EU member states, which was also proven in the AZOR 2010 international helicopter exercise. by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka photos by Jan Kouba

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Contingency Planning

Crisis Management Brussels style

Emergencies may occur anytime and anywhere. Apart from smaller accidents, populations suffer from more serious emergencies and natural disasters. Organisations involved in consequence management follow procedures dened in crisis plans, not only on the level of municipalities, but also on the strategic political-military level: at NATO and the European Union.
The Czech representative at the NATO Headquarters charged with crisis management is Mr. Miroslav ed. He engaged in CM back in the Czech Republic and continues to do so now as a defence attach 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 ed says and species 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 ofcials 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 ofcer in

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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 Prochzka photos by Radko Janata

question, Miroslav ed 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 dening 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 Vykov, Czech Republic, and established July 1st, 2006, as a NATO training centre. Not everybody realises that the Vykov centre is NATOs principal expert advisor on CBRN defence. It is indeed the rst NATO institution on multinational basis to be located in the Czech Republics territory, emphasises M. ed and adds that by building and operating the centre, certied 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 ctive geopolitical environment in a 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.

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International Security

Caring for Security and Cooperation

The conception quite a considerable part of the public have of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) may b be rather th bi biased d and d incomplete. It is the worlds 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. 1113 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. Vladimr Krka. Both these

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employees of the MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division were sent into Vienna for a three-year tour associated with activities in OSCE. Advisories, positions and recommendations they develop are fully professional. Those are highly erudite professional opinions that I can lean on during the discussions I am involved in, relishes the Head of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN, OSCE and other international organisations, Ambassador Veronika Kuchyov migolov, and adds: The Czech MoD sent very experienced and highquality experts here and I highly appreciate that. I nd cooperation with them absolutely seamless.

FIFTY-SIX SIGNATORIES
In the political-military eld, the OSCE activities primarily focus on condence building and strengthening security cooperation among member states, including arms control and disarmament, Col. Lubor Koudelka describes the mission of the international security organisation that mostly associates European countries. Apart from states in Europe, those include Caucasian, Central Asian and the United States of America and Canada. Besides signatories, OSCE activities also involve the input from so-called Mediterranean and Asian cooperation partners, including Egypt, Israel,

Jordan, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and Australia, the chief of military advisors section explains. He underscores that the Czech Republic regards OSCE an important part of European security architecture and supporting the OSCE activities is a high priority of the Czech Republics foreign policy. Responsibilities of Lubor Koudelka, for whom Austria is the third service tour abroad after Liberia and Iraq, include deliberations associated with Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE-T) and Open Skies Treaty (OST). The CFE-T, which provided the basis for decommissioning an immense quantity of selected kinds of conventional weapons in Europe, builds on three preventive steps limitation of arms quantity, an information exchange system and verication system, that is checking correctness of provided information in the form of inspections, he states and points out that the Russian Federation suspended all measures of the effective and legally binding CFE Treaty two years ago with its single-purpose law, which in practise means non-providing of Russian exchange information and not accepting inspections in the Russian territory. Other CFE-T signatories presently seek the ways out of this complicated situation caused by the unilateral 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

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International Security

state parties (the former Czechoslovakia ratied OST in 1992 and Czech Republic has an obligation under OST to accept on its territory up to four observation ights a year and request as many observation ights over other states territories). Aerial monitoring is costly. It is not affordable for every signatory to operate its own observation airplane, which is also the Czech experience. Current discussions in OSCE also entertain the creation of a joint observation aircraft eet to be used by mutliple state parties, the head of military advisors section expands.

DELIBERATIONS IN THE HOFBURG PALACE

Thanks to openness of involved parties, there is a unique opportunity to visit the OSCE headquarters in Vienna. The scene is set by the former Imperial Palace, today premises housing the seat of the President of Austria - the Hofburg. A part of the large premises there, specically the Congress Center, has been made available to the OSCE. Having fullled 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 species 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.

Obviously, any discussions military or defence advisors are involved in at the OSCE must be preceded by a demanding preparation. An in-depth knowledge of OSCE documents and treaties, including amendments, is the minimum basis for participation in discussions, Lubor Koudelka says. Another level of skill is the art of compromise, because all OSCE decisions are adopted on the basis of consensus and, apart from CFE-T and OST related decisions, do not constitute legal obligation, but political commitment. Trust me: this is not easy in the format of fty-six countries. Disapproval by one of the signatories may block any decision. Some states do not hesitate to use the socalled veto. In order for us to make progress then, it is essential to act prudently, which often entails a highly challenging process of negotiation. Including for these reasons, it is not possible to radically push own positions in all circumstances.

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This begs the question: this or that OSCE treaty is endorsed by the state parties and it is incumbent upon all signatories to meet the obligations, so what is the problem? One thing is to sign the treaty; its practical implementation is a different story. As a matter of fact, ten years plus have passed from signing of some of the key OSCE documents and not only political and

military, but also technology developments have taken place in this field since then. It is therefore essential to embrace reality and consider upgrading them in some instances. That is what is deliberated in Vienna: how to lay down maximum reciprocity possible in providing and obtaining dened information from other State Parties. But everything must always be based on the principle of fullling the existing commitments and duties 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 denitely 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 Prochzka photos by Marie Kov

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International Security

Ideas to deliver effects in eld

Although the military advisor of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN, OSCE and other international organisations, Mr. Vladimr Krka, has not even been through one-third of his tour in Vienna, he denitely does not show any novice-like shyness in deliberating European security and cooperation issues. Mr. Krka is an erudite defence expert in international law and a true professional with experience from two tours in observer missions in Angola. He is therefore able to put his experience to an effective use in deliberations with representatives of fty-six State Parties of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). I know from my previous service experience how challengin it may often be to nd common ground on a legal or military-security issues with the other party in bilateral relation. In OSCE halls, however, you pursue security and cooperation issues, including arms control and disarmament, in a much broader international forum. There are substantially more opinions on matters at hand, and so it is much more difcult to achieve consensus, Vladimr Krka says and describes negotiation tactics. The key is what you want to achieve on a given subject - that drives your negotiating strategy. Depending on situation, you decide whether you elect to make 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 nevertheless what you wanted. Moreover, the course of action taken must be frequently coordinated with the European Union and NATO member states. Regional communities of signatories are not an unwritten rule in negotiation at OSCE. Besides representatives of European countries at large, there are representatives behind the table of Caucasian and Central Asian states, the United States of America and Canada as well as so-called Mediterranean and Asian partners for cooperation. But it is not about territorial solidarity here. Condence building and development of security cooperation among the state parties must take place across the board, states the military advisor and notes that all state parties have the same status and decisions are taken unanimously.

FOCUS ON ARMS
Functional areas falling into the basket of Mr. Vladimr Krka include arms control and disarmament as well as broader matters of condence and security building (CSBMs: Condence and Security Building Measures). The platform for discussing, but primarily proposing and coordinating issues associated with the above topics, is

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the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC), established as an independent OSCE decision-making body in 1992. Regarding the process of arms control and disarmament, one of the basic pillars of European security, the Czech Republic consistently meets all of its commitments and duties under international disarmament treaties and agreements developed as a part of OSCE, states Mr. Krka, adding that several key agreements were sealed under the OSCE auspices that have largely contributed, especially at the end of the Cold War, but later on as well, to maintaining security on the European continent. FSC meets regularly once a week in some of the conference halls of the former Hofburg Imperial Palace with the timing of the session being determined by the forum presiding country. The presidency rotates on four-month basis among the state parties and the FSC resolves in the form of so-called decisions.

SPECIFIC PROJECTS AS WELL

Activities of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe may appear as a big theory. That is not the case because there are concrete measures underpinning a whole number of projects. From my responsibilities, let me mention the projects disposing surplus small arms and light weapons or surplus stock of conventional munitions the OSCE has realised primarily in Eastern Europe, on the Caucasus and in Central Asia. It is an important activity, as UN statistics show abusing small arms kills about seven hundred and forty thousand people worldwide yearly; even more alarming is the factor that nearly half a million victims are people in countries not suffering from local conicts. In other words, it accounts for two-thirds of people killed in no war zones, the military advisor says. OSCE

security activities are also realised through Field Missions Missions (FM). Those are located in four regions of the OSCE area: in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe, in South Caucasus and in Central Asia. The largest OSCE Field Mission presently operates in the territory of Kosovo, Mr. Krka specifies and adds that FM responsibilities include both aid in developing civic society, support to democratisation efforts, rule of law and human rights as well as training local police, customs officers and border guard. It should be noted that responsibilities of the two military advisors to the Czech Permanent Mission in Vienna are discussions related to three treaties (the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, Open Skies Treaty and Vienna Document 1999), which in a way complement one another and set obligations for OSCE member states regarding numbers of conventional weapons, the scope of exchanging military information and verification of how commitments are met. In reality, that also means that member states are obliged to accept so-called verification visits at military units and facilities, and inspections into assigned areas in their territories. There have been very intensive discussions in recent years on possible modernisation of some VD-99 measures to reect political-military developments. Some signatories only want cosmetic changes, while others propose a major modernisation of the document. Issues of implementing the Vienna Document 1999 are pursued as a part of the Forum for Security Cooperation. My primary domain is the development of specialist technical positions, the Czech military advisor Vladimr Krka explains. by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka photos by Marie Kov

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WITH THE SUPPORT OF NAMSA NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency

INVITATION
On 14th-16th 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 clothing Body armour Load carriage CBRN protection and personal detection Common communications systems Electro optical sighting and vision Digital mapping and situation awareness Personal weapon systems

C4I management and structures Non-lethal weapons and riot control Power sources Friend and foe recognition Simulation and virtual reality for training Battlefield/Infrastructure support equipment, shelters, logistics Digital Battlefield

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Predeployment Training

The Drill thats going to Pay

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 area was the venue to one of the biggest exercises to involve Czech soldiers in recent years. Around four hundred and sixty professionals, mostly from the 7th Mechanised Brigade, primarily focused on ne-tuning procedures in search operations, ghting in built-up areas, countering improvised explosive devices and providing convoy security together with US Army forces. In other words, they prepared for their upcoming missions in International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the territory of Afghanistan. One hundred and fty members of the 71st Mechanised Battalion, who will form the core of the Czech Armed Forces 6th Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar from August 2010 till February next year, underwent training in JMRC Hohenfels states Commander 7th Mechanised Brigade Colonel Ivo Stecha and says that additional three hundred and ten soldiers of the 7th Mechanised Brigade, specically of the 74th Light Motorised Battalion and 72nd Mechanised Battalion, also passed specialist preparation together with the US Army 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment for their planned operational deployment in Afghanistan in 2012. Besides joint patrols and most varied incidents, Czech soldiers also simulated operations of an Afghan National Army (ANA) Brigade on operations, species Colonel Jan Hlav, the chief of Land Forces Training Branch of the Czech Joint Force Command, and highlights the mutual professional benet. The U.S. and Czech units on the exercise were getting into highly realistic combat situations. Our junior commanders were able to discuss planning processes and tactical procedures with their peers while soldiers compared their level of readiness. It was an effective confrontation that generated a number of valuable lessons.

AFGHANI (DIS)ILLUSION
The project of renewing irrigation system connected with repairing the local dam commenced in 2008 and is planned for completion in 2011, reports the chief of CIMIC group, Lieutenant Miroslav Tomiczek to the Commander 6th PRT Task Force Lieutenant-Colonel Ctirad Gazda and goes into detail: Realisation of individual phases involves a number of small Afghani enterprises in the Kandahar province; we have contracted the necessary quantity of vocational specialists and we seek a larger involvement of local authorities in this phase. Lieutenant Gazda follows closely studying the map of the Kandahar province to get updated before the upcoming meeting with local leaders and U.S. representatives. Commander

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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 specic 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 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 conrmed 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

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Predeployment Training

the exercise was to provide a safe transport of persons to attend the meeting of local leaders, the so-called Shura. Along with the Czech troops, we are getting on U.S. humvees and set off for the meeting venue. We make several stops on our way leading through enclosed and broken terrain. A hoarse voice on the radio often repeats the check, check command. Soldiers immediately begin searching the ambient terrain and convoy surroundings. The reason for an unplanned stop this time is an immobile vehicle standing in the way of our convoy. But it may be an ambush as well. The commander orders the vehicle to be checked. But it proves very difcult to talk with an Afghani man, who moreover gestures confusedly. Fortunately, the incident ended up in mutual understanding and the convoy gets moving again. The commander gets the information that the area has already been monitored by the Afghani National Police;

it is therefore reasonable to expect that the meeting will go without complications. Despite disturbed by a bunch of local rioters, initial moments of the meeting do not show any signs of problems; the commander sits down, or rather kneels down and the agenda may go forward. However, several seconds on, soldiers monitoring the surrounding area are deafened by an explosion and cries of the injured are heard at once. One of the members of the Afghani National Police had a covert explosive device on his body, which he detonated. There are two fatalities on the scene and two heavily injured persons. The following seconds and minutes are already played according to a different scenario in line with the trained standard operation procedure. Securing the area, calling rapid response team from the base, loading fatalities, casualty treatment and evacuation are all taking place before the eyes of omnipresent Observer Controllers (OCs), who watch for the level of preparedness and assess action taken by soldiers in review covering all stages. The aim of such in-depth prepared and staged exercise episodes is to create an illusion of operating in real Afghani environment and prevent possible disillusion on deployment in the Logar or Kandahar province. A specic task was assigned to professionals from the 73rd and 74th battalion. They became Afghan soldiers for three weeks. In white camouage suits marked with high-visibility ANA inscription and with unshaved faces, they played the role Afghan National Army, a brigade headquarters (BDE HQ ANA) and its subordinate four battalions (kandaks). They are no extras, but real planning, unit training and joint operations. Only in a different uniform, species the commander of the ANA

36

brigade, General Koushan Fahim Sagana, in reality the commander of the 74th Light Motorised Battalion Tom iler and with all due dignity he publishes his assigned biography including details from his other life. Despite having a meeting with (non)real governors of the Kandahar and Zabul provinces coming up in minutes, he gave us a brieng about his unit. In my basket, I have all brigade staff elements and four kandaks, represented by four infantry companies of the Czech Armed Forces, with sixty eight personnel each. Two of them are stationed at camps in Hohenfels and the other two operate in the Grafenwoehr training area. In addition to weapons and equipment we use on regular basis, we have been given nine Humvees, Gen. Sagana states and unveils the course of events to come. The Americans requested that we operated as we do on standard basis from our peacetime station, which is combat patrolling to platoon level. We performed to our training standards. The initial 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 commanders talk. The commanders ADC taps his watch indicating for us the time is up. Before we get out of the staff building though, we catch the Generals 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

to be received by warghters of Lieutenant-Colonel Karim Ulshah Parwiz, in reality Captain Miroslav Smolka, commander of the 1st Infantry Company the 74th Light Motorized Battalion. Our operation tempo has been intensive and there are really no downtimes. Kandak personnel form ten to fteen member patrols to monitor areas of interest together with US forces. Night operations with the use of night vision devices are no exception. Hohenfels is a great experience for us. It is the rst time for us to be in such environment and in such situations. Counting in the difcult climatic conditions, we are sustaining a heavy load. But it is denitely a drill that will denitely pay, CAPT Smolka or LTC Parwiz says. by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka photos by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka and the 7th Mechanised Brigade

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Deployed Operations

Journey to Millie Paygham

Radio is the most frequently used and most popular source of information in Afghanistan. We set off to see one of the most popular radio stations with the soldiers of the Czech 3rd Mobile Observation Team.

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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 difcult terrain and we will be passing several critical points. Very thorough planning was therefore required as a part of preparations. Moreover, it is the rst time for the 5th contingent to go into that area and the situation has denitely changed since our predecessors has visited the place last time, says Warrant Ofcer 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 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 trafc 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 trafc 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 ofcers were able to organise trafc 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 nding out the planned route is not viable and we have to choose another way. The patrol

leaves the main road and elects to go across the eld. There is only a larger stream to cross. Soldiers from the rst vehicle inspect the small bridge and assess its loadbearing capacity. The bridge is clear, load-bearing sufcient, 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

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 difcult terrain and we will be passing several critical points. Very thorough planning was therefore required as a part of preparations. Moreover, it is the rst time for the 5th contingent to go into that area and the situation has denitely changed since our predecessors has visited the place last time, says Warrant Ofcer 1 Jirka, in command of a Humvee. We set off and the journey through Logar turning green in the Spring goes quite fast. The 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 trafc 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. Taliban frequently employs the tactics of blocking road trafc 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, who directs the convoy movement from the vehicle heading it.

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Deployed Operations

a Dingo, which is wide like, but heavier and higher than Humvee. Now we could already easily drive up to the top, but the whole convoy would turn around there. The commander, Lieutenant Luk, 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 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. The head of the local radio station thanked Czechs for possibility to have one of the reporters last year for internship in Radio Free Europe in Prague and for the their support. Competition starts to grow, and we therefore welcome opportunities to improve professional

qualities of our reporters thereby increasing quality of our service, outlines the radio director the vision of future cooperation. Further discussions between PRT civilian reconstruction experts and radio ofcials covered the radios future development and its equipment. Additional specic

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cooperation projects begin to take shape. They are important, because communicating unbiased information on developments in the province is a prerequisite for future development of Afghani society. Time is relentless. Two hours have passed quickly and the Czech patrol has to return. After a warm farewell, we

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 inamed wound on his 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 MOT-man 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent in Logar. by Captain Petr iler, Press and Information Ofcer, 5th Czech Armed Forces contingent PRT Logar, Operation ISAF

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Introducing NATO

Architects of International Relations

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 ceremonys prole was raised by presence of prominent guests headed by the member of the British Royal Family, Princess Ann, the 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 the bold, is the inscription on the seal of Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) that reports directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Headquarters ARRC is currently in the process of moving from its standing premises nearby Rheindahlen, Germany, 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 Mojmr Jank, senior national representative of the Czech Republic in HQ ARRC, while still in Rheindahlen. The primary task LTC Jank 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 Republics 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 information and he must be able to find the way ahead in the field. I serve here at the G9 CIMIC branch and my mission is to ensure cooperation in case of deploying into an area of possible conict, including interaction with major international and national governmental and

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nongovernmental organisations that have operated or will be operating there, describes his job the Czech representative in the CIMIC team and adds: Simply put, my job is to build an architecture of mutual relations of organisation involved and participating in the effort while seeking con icts, and, in case they occur, seek se eki ing to prevent ing pre reve vent nt c onicts i cts, , an and d, i n ca se t the hey y do o occ ccur ur, , to

solve concrete problems or future conicts, which could arise in the area of operations and have the potential of hampering not only those civilian organisation, but especially us, the military, our commanders who have or will be deployed here to perform their specic missions 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 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 Jank must be able to deploy to any area of operations worldwide on any continent ve days notice and operate there for the period of six months at the same time. In the CIMIC branch at HQ ARRC, LTC Jank meets his colleagues on daily basis. Nevertheless, the ninemember team differs somewhat from other branches and teams. We are a more international component, Lieutenant-Colonel Jank explains the specity 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

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Introducing NATO

Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Ofce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and many others. We stay in touch; we know each others roles, missions and potential for cooperation in the event of necessary conict management anywhere on the globe. Not only a range of workshops and conferences, but especially international exercises, namely ARRCADE FUSION with every-year participation of the Czech CBRN Defence Brigade in Liberec, help us get to know each other better. The scenarios are based on real-world lessons from operational deployments, presently mainly from Afghanistan, Africa and other regions. The advantage is that development of scenarios for those international exercises involves military and civilian experts with personal operational experience from existing conicts 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 warghting with civilian support tasks (humanitarian, reconstruction, training), as well as refugee and non-combatant aid tasks. The manifold nature of emerging conicts coupled with specicity 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 Jank have to ensure: they must keep military forces and civilian organisations staying out of each others 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 dened 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 eshed out. As a matter of fact, one cannot wait in vain until a conict generates or situation aggravates in problematic or risk area. Contacts, mostly personal ones, with ofcials of the involved non-military organisations and partners are something CIMIC personnel need to have down to a ne art. We need to have established closest contacts with major actors, such as the World Food Program (WFP), Ofce for the Coordination of

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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 Jank, 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 denitely 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 Jank 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 Prochzka photos by Jan Prochzka and Radko Janata

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Events

Multinational Logistic Coordination Center: One Step Closer

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 MLCC ops room door was cut by the Czech 1st Deputy CHOD, Brigadier Miroslav ika, ofcial of the Hungarian Joint Force Command J-4 branch, Colonel Ferenc Jakab, Deputy Chief of General Staff Hellenic Armed Forces, Admiral Christos Katsaros, Commander Operations Support Staff of the General Staff the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, Major-General Peter Vojtek, and Division Chief Logistic Support U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), Navy Captain Edward Digges. General ika commented: Now we are at the very beginning and we face much work before the Multinational Logistics Coordination Center becomes fully operational but I would like to see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the successful idea behind this project. The graduating operational tempo places increasing demands on the limited capacity of logistic support components, particularly in smaller NATO nations, and an enhanced cooperation is therefore essential. Mr. Bruno Cantin, head of logistics section chief of the NATO International Staff in Brussels, also welcomed the achieved progress in the meeting: I highly value the fact that the Czech Republic took up the challenge of establishing the Multinational Logistics Coordination Center, whose founding idea involves the assistance and support the Czech Republic has received in the process from other nations, especially the United States of America. I am looking forward to the achievement of full operational capability of the center, which is highly valuable for our logistic efforts. Today, the MLCC embarked on another challenging phase of development. Colonel Roman Dufek, Czech ofcer responsible for MLCC operations, said: The Multinational Logistic Coordination Center started to operate in virtual set-up. To achieve that objective, an MLCC ops room was prepared and equipped with communication and information systems at Pohoelec Barracks in Prague and launched a website

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accessible to other NATO logisticians in cooperation with the US European Command. Colonel Vladimr 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 Ministers decision, we will rst prepare the structure of the centres 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 1617th, 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 ulc, Public Diplomacy Section, ACR General Staff

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Introducing NATO

Safeguarding Part of the Sky

There are six Czech soldiers serving their tours in the Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, Germany.

Hitting Autobahn 57 in Dsseldorf 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

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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 CAOCs AOR with southern half of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The CAOC in Uedem currently undergoes major 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, specically 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 ve-member team of duty ofcers, 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, specically the leader, who makes the decision the scramble QRA ghters. In case there is an airspace security violation, the leader orders two QRA machines to take off immediately (Alfa Scramble), with initial tasking to visually identify the target in question. Available stats show that alpha is on here three to four times

on average a month. The most frequent reason for Czech JAS-39 Gripen, Slovak MiG-29, German Euroghters and Phantoms, as well as Polish, Belgian and Dutch F-16s to intervene is usually the loss of communication by the airplane with civilian air trafc control.

DENYING PERSONNEL TRENDS

Any component of such kind, larded with the most advanced electronic systems, would however be useless without highly qualied 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 NATOs 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

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Introducing NATO

represented at all key elements of the CAOC. The most senior-ranked Czech is Colonel Milan Marek, who is assigned as Deputy Director Air Operations, which ranks him among top CAOC ofcials. That post ensures the Czech Armed Forces is adequately represented on the command group. In addition to that, we have two Majorranked professionals in the planning branch and three specialists serving on the permanent duty shifts shift leader, air situation ofcer and assistant head. The intention to increase the number of personnel at the Uedem Combined Air Operations Centre will also apply to the Czech Republic. After afrmatory 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.

was in command of the Control and Reporting Center in Star Boleslav back in the Czech Republic and studied the United States War College. The duty tour here at Uedem meant a great headway for me both in professional and personal terms. We are confronted with a gamut of facts that I did not think as the Commander Control and Reporting Center in Czech Republic or as a citizen in the Czech Republic would ever concern me, he states and goes on to say that another positive

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 slav and pilot of the JAS-39 Gripen multirole supersonic fighter. Trust me, it will be both enjoyable and informative retrospect, says COL Marek, who

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aspect is working in an international environment. It is also about international way of managing your staff. Your encounter various national habits that influence the way you treat your subordinates on constant basis. You may even not realise yourself that formulating orders badly or having misconceptions about national specificity may lead to misunderstandings possibly hampering on mission performance. That is, of course, not unacceptable. Therefore, you need to able to read

peoples profiles. On the other hand, that incites a broad mutual discussion cultivating your knowledge. The important part is that both parties understood each other perfectly and read the order in completely same manner. In case the individual accepts the tasks onehundred percent, you can be sure he/she will perform much more effectively and add some more value in most instances, because quality performance is also a question of the individuals 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 benets 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 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 denitely boosts your condence, 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 ofcers nd living with good neighbourly relations much better than otherwise. by Pavel Lang and Jan Prochzka photos by authors and Jan Kouba

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Multinational Exercise

Three thousand personnel of ve NATO nations armed forces worked shoulder-to-shoulder, jointly pursuing objectives of combat operations as a part of exercise Flying Rhino 2010

Every Mission Unique

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 territory of seven regions of the Czech Republic for the eighth consecutive time. On May 3-21, three thousand service personnel, of whom about a thousand were of the Czech Armed Forces, were up to dozens of scenarios they could encounter deployed for combat operations in Afghanistan. British forces, specically the 1st (UK) Armoured Division, have played a key role here. NATO troops are here to share their combat lessons from Afghanistan and build on them to enhance effectiveness of land and air operations, says commander 1st (UK) Armoured Division and FR 2010 exercise director, MajorGeneral Adrian Bradshaw, and describes goals of what has been one of the largest eld training exercise in the Czech territory this year. Plus to maintain combat qualications of forward air controllers and coordinated live re of artillery and air assets, he adds. The British General goes on to specify major types of equipment used by the involved NATO nations armed forces. On land, we are supported by 155-mm AS 90 self-propelled howitzers, 86-mm mortars, air defence assets and HVM Rapier systems, SA-6 Gainful and RBS70, ARTHUR radar and Sojka III unmanned aerial vehicles as well as other command, control, reconnaissance, air defence, passive systems and electronic warfare assets. In the air, we have all types of aircraft in service with the Czech Air Force, British Tornado GR4 ghters, Hawk trainer jets, Lynx helicopters and Lithuanian L-39ZA Albatros jet trainers as well as American F-16CJ multirole ghters. The mention should also be made that the aircraft take off into exercise airspaces designated RAT and JERBOA from the 22nd Air Force Base at Nm nad Oslavou while land operations take place in the Brdy and Libav Military Training Areas.

FACS GAINING ON IMPORTANCE

On road, by railway and via air is how the British forces based in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany moved to the Czech Republic. Transfer of soldiers and hundreds tons of materiel and ammunition must have obviously claimed a longterm preparation. Once Flying Rhino is over, we are launching preparations for the next run. There is no other way to do it with such a large event, says the FR 2010 chief logistic ofcer, Major Milan Holusek of the Olomouc-based Joint Force Command and provides an example: The Brits managed to transport six hundred units of hardware on seven trains from the FRG and fty ISO containers into four predesignated locations in the Czech Republic. Unloading coordinated by Czech Armed Forces liaison ofcers was performed awless, with substantial assistance particularly by the members of the 14th (Czech) Logistic Support Brigade. The Brits provided for housing and messing in fact on their own. They built tent shelter camps with necessary infrastructure in training locations. They used own eld cooking facilities to cater for their troops. We helped

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them with contacts to local commercial contractors and coordinated limited logistic support services, says MAJ Holusek. Flying Rhino is every years load test for the Nm 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 tefnik, Commander 22nd Air Force Base, explains and goes on to say: Increased ight intensity and ying operations as late as until 1 a.m. entails a higher noise load. We have therefore had discussions with ofcials of surrounding municipalities to explain objectives of this international exercise. Although Colonel tefnik points out the obvious expansion of land forces taking part in the exercise compared to Rhinos previous runs, he assures that one the exercise priorities remained to enhance professional qualications 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,

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Multinational Exercise

during which cooperation with forward air controllers is absolutely essential, are always case-specic. The exercise scenario mirrors the reality of the conict 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 Ji Ddi, 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 prole is not the key factor in this sense. The Czech military training areas also offer the possibility to simulate completely realistic crisis scenarios, LTC Ddi 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

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

FIGHTING BOTH IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND

Flying Rhino schedule divides into two phases. The 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 tefnek, Deputy Exercise Director, and elaborates that the FR 2010 divides into several mutually coordinated smaller exercises that culminate with a live re practice. Day-to-day routines at the NATO base quartering members of British-Czech task force are suddenly over. Terrorist assault comes unexpectedly and fast. Fierce enemy rie and mortar re results in many casualties. Although allied troops answer re, they are progressively getting into a heavy defensive. Danish and Lithuanian forward air controllers enter the scene calling air support to the incident site using radios. A couple of minutes later, two Czech Armed Forces L-159 ALCA subsonic combat aircraft attack enemy positions. The airplanes assault and release practise bombs. A massive cloud of smoke and deafening bang occur in the range target zone. The Libav training area is where one of the dozens of Flying Rhino episodes is just coming to a head. Italian Captain Francesco Spike, a FAC instructor, quickly calls his colleagues to join him. Excellent job, appraises the Dane and the Lithuanian and reviews how they controlled their aircraft onto target.

At the Nm AFB apron platform, ground personnel are in the process of nalising preps for ight action. We load fty rounds into the GSh-23 cannon on the Czech thirty-niners, Lieutenant-Colonel Oldich Lokaj explains. His words are cut off by the noise produced by a couple of Slovak L-39 ZA aircraft. Lithuanian ZAs, Czech ALCAs, British hawks and Tornados start up in succession. Having barely lifted off the runway they turn heading for the Brdy military training area while Czech Mi-24/35 gunships and British Lynx helicopters begin turning their rotors. We have a vesome of one-ve-niners here to y CAS sorties, both with practice and live ammunition, including GBU-12 laser guided bombs. We regard Flying Rhino an optimal opportunity to ne-tune our preparedness for possible operational deployment in Afghanistan, comments Major David eha, commander 212th Tactical Squadron. by Pavel Lang photos by Jan Kouba

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Deployed Operations

Firing the M2HB-QCB heavy machine gun mounted on Iveco light armoured vehicles is very accurate and relatively comfy.

Like Playing a Computer Game

We left blast walls ringing Camp Shank and headed south down the Road Utah. An extraordinary long convoy of Humvee, Dingo and Iveco co armoured vehicles indicates that this time it is neither a patrol nor an escort ort convoy. Service personnel of the 5th contingent the Provincial Reconstruction ruction 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 its 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 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 rst need to pass Camp Altimur. The fortication 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.

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We are allocated frequencies we must be permanently available at, and lets go. We will be shooting nearly all weapons used by the contingent: Glock 17 pistols, Sa-58 ries, Minimi, MG3 and M2HB 12.7-mm machine guns, Sako and Falkon sniper ries, 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 ofcer responsible for todays ring practise, WO Zdenk 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 shortrange 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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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. Its as easy as shooting in a computer game. I am 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 rangender. You can zoom the target in or out on the display. If you do not shoot, the camera can be used for surveillance. The cameras 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 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 ring another short burst from the belt

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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 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 the twenty-rst century weapon.

UNTIL THE CARAVAN PASSE S BY

A camel caravan moves across the shooting range. An order comes immediately to cease re. We can do nothing but wait until they pass. Spring began and nomads set off for their travels. Shooting does not bother them at all; ring belongs to living in Afghanistan like air or water. Sometimes it even happens that some people pop up in the nearby wadi to see what is happening. The convoy of Humvees turns around and returns to the base, because it is clear at this point that their crews will not have their go today. They have to nish earlier because they are scheduled for a patrol at one p.m. Finally we can continue shooting. We try another new item in service, the Minimi, at the range of some four hundred metres. I am aiming the dot in the sight to the bottom part of the running gure-shaped target. But the burst falls too short. The dust rises about two metres in front of the target. I am adjusting. I am hitting the bulls eye this time. The more difcult part is ring a grenade launcher at approximately ve hundred metres. The rst burst shoots

well over the target, by some thirty to forty metres. But it gets closer to the target. The third couple of rounds impacts already pretty close. Shooting the Carl Gustav RPGs is the cream of the crop. The loader slides the round inside, slaps the shooter on the shoulder, turns away and covers his ears. Then there is a deafening bang, ash and much smoke. It claims some skill to hit the target with this weapon precisely. The Raven reconnaissance UAV takes off exactly at noon. UAV operators search broader areas adjacent to the range to enhance security and safety standards. Initially, there were plans that we would employ the system much more frequently. But is has mostly been the U.S. who provide reconnaissance with UAVs for the PRT. Raven completes several rounds and operator makes sure everything is all right. His colleague reports there was a suspicious movement at two oclock. He ies the UAV in that direction, but it turns out it was just a herd of camels. In several moments, the Raven lands on its belly on a rocky ground. Seems like a hard landing, but I am told the UAV is designed for that that is why it is made of high endurance materials. by Vladimr Marek

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Military-to-military Assistance

Two Years of OMeLeTte

Two years have passed from the deployment of the 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 Republic decided to donate to the Afghani National Army six Mi-17 transport helicopters and six Mi-24 gunships decommissioned from the inventory of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic for being surplus. Endorsed by the Cabinet of the Czech Republic in October 2007, the deed of donation was signed between the Czech and Afghani Ministry of Defence and the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CTSC-A) that is responsible for training Afghani flight personnel. Dozen of machines then underwent overhaul and modernisation funded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. We will expand our aid to Afghanistan by sending our military experts into Kabul to provide input into building the Afghan National Army Air Corps, said the General Vlastimil Picek, the Chief of General Staff Czech Armed Forces. From April 2008, first as a part of the 4th Czech Armed Forces Field Hospital and CBRN defence contingent, an eight-member group of the 23rd Air Force Base (Heli) began to operate under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Pospchal. The Czech Air OMLT teams then rotated serving four-month tours. Presently, there is an eleven-member team of the 22nd Air Force Base Nm led by Lieutenant-Colonel Rudolf Straka as part of the 3rd Czech Armed Forces contingent in International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) stationed at the Kabul International Airport. ANA officials continue to show eager commitment to working with Czech experts.

ROTATION OF CZECH OMLT

Captain Vladimr Vladik, Capt. Martin Vani and Capt. Josef Mare of the 221st Helicopter Squadron the 22nd Air Force Base (Helo) are already through their premiere tour in the Czech Air OMLT at Kabul. The second round of rotations has just started. Roughly a dozen instructors have served here during the past two years, says Capt. Vladik and explains that they are going together with Capt. Vani for their second tour in Afghanistan starting April. They do not have a clear answer to whether their previous experience has been useful for them or not. We both know very well what we are up to. It will not be necessary to get to know the environment, ight personnel training system and the Mi-24 helicopter maintenance system. On the other hand, we will be confronted with a different group of Afghanis.

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We will see how we get on with each other, both in terms of work and personality, they say in unison. They already know that professional qualication of their Afghan colleagues will be the less demanding part. Many Afghan pilots studied at former Soviet air schools and ew with Soviet instructors.

They are mostly experienced pilots who have logged as many as thousands hours of ying in mountain environment. But they have not own for a long period of time and our mission is to renew their professional automatisms. In addition, we seek to get veried their system of training ight personnel for ying and we recommend essential changes in mission planning and assessment to prevent undesired events endangering ight safety, says Capt. Vani 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 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, rst and foremost, use it operatively in ight. His colleague from the helicopter squadron Capt. Josef Mare comments: Asked about the position of a landmark they pinpoint it on the map with their nger without hesitation. But when asked to draw a ight route, they often nd it difcult. 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 the situation easier. We have learnt some basic phrases in Dari as well, but it was not enough for uent aviation phraseology amongst aircrew, Capt. Vladik recalls. The Czech instructor also found interesting to learn about the differences in Afghani culture and mentality of the locals as well as living at KAIA. Afghans had

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Military-to-military Assistance

a very friendly attitude to my person and showed me how they valued the Czech assistance. Being on station at the Kabul airport also gave me many valuable lessons. In multinational environments, you are confronted with people coming from various parts of the world all the time, Capt. Vani states.

LESSONS FOR BOTH SIDES

The key thing during a four-month tour took place in the Mi-24 gunship cockpits. The practice was as follows: day one preparation, day two ights. Of course subject to meteo conditions. With elevation eighteen hundred metres above sea level, the Kabul International Airport has some specicity. For example, when visibility dropped under ve kilometres, ight operations were restricted. High temperatures had to be taken into account as well, which practically meant that we ew early in the morning or in the evening, says Vladimr Vladik and adds that situations when the technical personnel could not even touch the broiled machines were not exceptional. When you consider wearing the tactical vest weighing several kilos The mission of the Czech OMLT team was not to y given number of hours with Afghani pilots, but rather prepare them for performance of limited combat missions. One of such tasks were live re exercises for instance. With our predecessors, Afghans passed weapon system training, including zeroing in weapons as well as so-called photo shooting. Then they continued with navigation ights and performance of assaults. During my tour, they already completed a live re exercise with the machine gun and with unguided rockets. They

performed to satisfaction on both sides, Capt. Mare says and he also evaluates with respect the training standards Afghani pilots have displayed. I did not interfere into their piloting. I only grabbed the stick in exceptional cases. It was not about being afraid of ying with them. Speaking about ight operations, all three instructors concur that they did not only pass their experience but also learnt some lessons themselves. Flying in mountains and in extreme climatic conditions gave us many new lessons, they add. by Pavel Lang photos by Czech OMLT

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An exercise of Czech Armed Forces engineer unit in a territor y mined in previous conflicts

Bozena at the Jordan River

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 rst live mission abroad.
Bozena 5 remote controlled self-propelled 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 carriers Antonov An-124-100M machine landed on runway zero-six of the Prague Ruzyn airport to load both Bozenas stored in transport containers onboard.

HUMANITARIAN AID TO JORDAN

As the Middle East belongs to the Czech Foreign policys 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

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of mines will undoubtedly help stabilise situation in the region, says Brigadier Bohuslav Dvok, 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 Bielen, comments on the positive aspects of the 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 Bozenas

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 Bielen 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 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, Boena 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 Bielen 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 Vladimr Zkodn, deputy commander 153rd Combat Engineer Battalion, who is in charge of the nine-member team of specialists from Olomouc and Rakovnk, 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 Zkodn 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 hours 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

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