Defence & Strategy

This article provides a summary of basic knowledge relating to strategic studies. It explains the terms and concepts that are documented by existing potential of international experts, who are deeply engaged in the problem of strategic studies. This article also presents a brief history of strategic studies for security and national defense of the Czech Republic. It also indicates in short a way the Institute for Strategic Studies of the Military Academy in Brno intends to contribute to this area.

The author, a leading military specialist of the Polish Armed Forces, in the article free translated by the periodical editorial staff focused on some current and future problems and issues of the Poland security. Based on the analysis of events connected with international terrorism, development and status of regions, development of the military art and other issues he predicts potential threats to security at the beginning of the 21st century. He presents an interpretation of so-called “asymmetric warfare” and introduces some aspects and assessment of the NBC employment. The author reflects some specific problems of the conduct of combat and operation in the near future. At the conclusion, the article presents some issues of the Poland preparedness to face new threats, and terrorism can be considered as the most critical threat.

Based on the graphical representation of potential threats to the Czech Republic and solution of their phases, the article outlines the basic considerations for the security system build-up.

Review of the author relating to a newly issued version of the Czech Republic Military Strategy. Presented are critical remarks to some chapters of the document and alternative solutions. The author calls for considerate transformation of the armed forces based on sound scientific principles of the armed forces employment especially in accomplishment of tasks by the forces under national command.

It was for first time in the short history of the Czech Republic, when in the 2002 year the topic and problems of the security and defense policy appeared in documents and pre-election programmes of the main Czech parliamentarian political parties in greater extent. All relevant parties, except Coalition (a center/right-wing coalition of KDU-ČSL and US-DEU) presented their visions of future and shape of defense policy of the Czech Republic and its armed forces. Governmental ČSSD (social democrats) propounded a vision of fully professional army alike ODS (conservative liberals), but with different priorities and aims. KSČ (communists) refused this vision and brought out their traditional and non-compatible programme repeatedly. Coalition did not offer an unambiguous vision for the electorate, it partially refused the Governmental social democrats ideas about an acquisition of the super-sonic aircraft, but it accepted the restructuring as the whole. Actually, due to an absence of unambiguous defense policy of US-DEU and KDU-ČSL with the pivotal character of Coalition will enable to continue in the armed forces reform in compliance with the initial Government conception. This article aim is to describe the main ideas and arguments in defense policy programmes of these parties.

The article deals with changes in the intelligence services mission and role after Sept. 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks. The article mentions downtrends originated in the 70´s and 90´s and subsequent effort for change; describes increasing importance of intelligence, new perception of intelligence agencies by public audience and drift of tasks towards new challenges. Conclusions: Intelligence agencies entered the 90´s being weakened. Since 1998 effort is exerted to improve capabilities and position of foreign and domestic intelligence. Prepared new trends in intelligence matters were not caused by terrorist attacks but only were accelerated. General public perceives intelligence activities more positively. Agencies were given more budget and also the important new legislation was passed in security affairs including intelligence activities. The international and inter-agency sharing of information is on the top level now. Humint activities are strengthened. Domestic intelligence agencies focus on monitoring immigrant communities that could be involved in political violence. The important discussion on failures of intelligence get started and smaller or bigger internal reform of agencies begun. Some of current trends could result in some future troubles.

The article deals with possibilities of development of the Polish military forces. One can state, that the Polish military forces are barely at the beginning of transformation. Anyway they are closer to the beginning than its end. The some year plans of the military forces’ restructuring must not decide about changes in the military forces. These plans may be used only for temporary activity, satisfying needs and solving current problems. For the present, urgency of change concerns the problems of more serious or maybe even revolution character. As the matter of fact the question is whether we will run after this elusive shadow left by magnates of this world? Will we chose another, maybe the more difficult and risky way, which gives a chance not only for survival but also for progress in changing conditions at the beginning of XXI century?

This article deals with a history, present and potential future of the Operational Preparation of the national Territory (OPSÚ). It shows international experience of the OPSÚ and introduces some of new views relating to OPSÚ including conclusions for future development and providing for the OPSÚ in the Czech Republic.

The article describes a potential future of the tanks in the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR). It explains in brief the development of theory of use of tanks since the WWI up to the present and it deals with the perspective of use of tanks in the ACR and numbers established in documentation on the armed forces restructuring.

The British Defense Doctrine (Second edition) was published and distributed by the Joint Doctrine and Concepts Center in UK. This publication sits at the pinnacle of the UK’s hierarchy of joint publications. It is focused primarily on the doctrinal component of the UK’s military strategy; it conveys a message about the tone and nature of the British approach to military activity at all levels. This Doctrine is the distilled experience of many years - generations - of making strategy and of mounting and conducting military operations. Most of those operations have gone well and UK has a reputation for strategic success, with Armed Forces that are highly regarded around the world. Military doctrine is defined by the North Atlantic Treaty organization as “fundamental principles by which military forces guide their actions in support of objectives”. Doctrine is of value to allies and potential coalition partners, that means for the Czech Republic too who will benefit from an understanding of the British approach to military ethos and general approach to strategic and military issues. This is one of the main purposes why reading and understanding this publication is important for officials who are responsible for developing and publishing similar documents in the Czech Republic. This article describes structure of the British Defense Doctrine.

In the end of 2000, the Czech Republic MoD National Armament Directorate charged the Institute of the Strategic Studies with a task to prepare a draft of the National Armament Strategy. From that time, the Institute personnel performed many analyzed of strategic policy and acquisition approaches of the mature NATO nations in securing their needs for the defense. The aim of this task was to recommend the most efficient implications applicable for strategic approach for the armament of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The objective of this article is to point out certain common as well as different approaches of transformation of the acquisition systems in the last 5 years in order to secure the needs of the armed forces efficiently as much as possible and present the most important impacts on the National Armament Strategy development.

Issues of forming and strengthening of the economic basis for defense of a democratic nation are, from the perspective of the democratic development, a primary task for the political leadership of the nation, and equally a reality of the international military-political situation at the turn of the 20-th and 21-th century. No democratic state can do without measures that require considerable material, financial and human resources. Therefore, this treatment will deal with the defense industrial base that forms assumptions for successful defense not only from the economic, but also from the military perspective. With regard to the armament production, we can find the following attitudes at individual countries: building of armament production as an autonomous national element for the purpose of gaining the political and economic independence in the area of acquisition of weapons and weapon systems; demonstration of political and military power; economic reasons - savings in national financial resources, and presentation of level of economic development, effort to increase efficiency of the economy through new technologies applied in the armament production. The defense industrial policy should be a part of the economic strategy. We can define it as a set of legislative, institutional and economic acts and activities of a government to run the development of armament production, export and import of military armament and equipment. Intentions for the armament production should flow from the military strategy, achieved level of industrial base, existing historical experience and traditions, maturity and scope of its technological background.

The German defense industry is bound by a situation when the national armed forces are to perform a major transformation at a time when its budget is insufficient to meet the needs of modernization investments that are to be made. As in other countries, the end of the Cold War reduced the size of Germany armed forces and restricted the country export regulations.

The article presents some factors, based on the data from the history of defense industry in the Czech Republic (former the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic) that accompanied the attenuation of the defense industry and their impact on the conversion and structural changes of the Czech and Slovak economy. Further, it mentions methods how to provide for alternative manufacturing programs in the free market economy and indicates factors and conditions of the future development of the Czech Republic defense industry.

The importance of NATO Codification System is steadily increasing. The number of users of this “invisible” tool of national and international logistics worldwide is growing and the Czech Republic is involved in this System, too. As the first country of the former East Block, the CR MoD implemented in full this System known as the “Uniform System of Cataloging of Supplies” and uses its benefits for the supplies management. Lessons learned with running of the System resulted in creating legislative environment for enlargement of this System also outside the MoD, i.e. true establishment of the CR System of Cataloging. Anyhow, the only user of the NATO Codification Systems remains the MoD. Currently, there is not enough information available on this System and on its potential enlargement both into the military and civilian professional domain. This article, therefore, is an attempt to outline possible strategy of the future development of the NATO Codification System in the Czech Republic.