A NATO military head is one of a host of international guests expected to observe the largest training exercise in the history of the Czech military, currently under way in south and west Bohemia.

Operation "Strong Campaigner," a 12-day training exercise involving both air and ground troops, is designed to prepare a 3,000-person 4th Brigade peacekeeping unit that would be ready for potential deployment by the end of the year, military spokesman Major Zdeněk Kroutil said.

Canadian General Raymond Henault, head of NATO's Military Committee, is scheduled to evaluate the campaign, said Blanka Majkusová, a press official with the Defense Ministry. This arm of NATO is responsible for advising the organization on its defense policies and recommending any military action.

Prague-based diplomats from NATO members are also expected to attend "Strong Campaigner," making for a total of about 60 observers, she said.

Since Oct. 9, more than 4,300 Czech soldiers have been engaged in simulated peacekeeping initiatives in a fictional state dubbed "Orangeland," created at military zones near Hradiště and Boletice. In this elaborate scenario, Orangeland has been under the control of a dictator, and is discovered to be developing chemical weapons and harboring terrorist training camps. A European security council has agreed to take military action, and Czech troops are part of the coalition.

During the two-week exercise, ground, gun, search, anti-missile and anti-mine units will patrol Orangeland, searching for weapons and insurgent groups, said Kroutil.

The Czech peacekeeping unit is not yet scheduled for specific involvement in any NATO-led missions, but needs to be at the ready should the necessity arise, Kroutil said. "The Army must be able to provide for its political and military ambitions."

"We want to show our guests that the 4th Brigade has fulfilled the reform of military forces," Majkusová said.

Proving its mettle

That is certainly a goal underpinning these exercises: putting the country's best foot forward for NATO and international onlookers, said Miloš Titz, former head of the parliamentary defense and security committee.

"Army officials want to show that the Czechs can manage to organize a big training operation like this," he said. "Also, that we have the money for it, that we're willing to use it for training purposes, and to prove to our allies that we'll stick to it."

The country has been a member of NATO since March 1999.

Planning for the current training operation has been in the works for a year and a half, and is part of a reformation of the Army, said Kroutil.

"Strong Campaigner" follows on the heels of two smaller exercises last year also preparing troops for peacekeeping. "Grim Campaigner," in October 2005, trained approximately 1,400 personnel for deployment to Kosovo, while "Creative Campaigner," in July 2005, trained 700 soldiers.

These training exercises have been integral to the Army's development, said Titz.

"The structure of the Czech Army has had to develop and improve over the years, and some people have had to prove themselves competent," he said. "Such a big training operation will point out where weaknesses still are."

To date, the Czech Army has been involved in NATO- and UN-led peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. There are currently fewer than 800 Czech troops deployed in these missions overseas.

The country declined to commit any troops to the UN's current international peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Government leaders said last month that there was no money for such a deployment.