Czech military strategy looks toward U.S.

A new vision for the future of the armed forces will emphasize trans-Atlantic interests, officials say, a decision criticized by some who say this risks minimizing European Union interests.

The so-called White Paper (BKO) is being drafted by a team of 15 security and international relations experts, headed by former Defense Minister and current NATO Assistant Secretary-General Jiří Šedivý, and is set to be released next spring. The draft will be largely dictated by the new NATO strategy coming out in November, according to Jiří Štábl, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, reaffirming the country's longstanding pro-NATO stance and giving EU initiatives a backseat role.

"The new strategic concept of NATO will be one of the important works in creating the BKO," Štábl said. "The ambition is that three quarters of the armed forces of the Czech Republic are consistent with NATO standards."

EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) operations will influence the White Paper, Štábl said, but as more of an afterthought. Štábl said although the government believes CSDP initiatives are an important part of international security, NATO initiatives will take precedent and CSDP operations will be undertaken depending on what funding remains.

One example of the harmonization of the White Paper with NATO policy is the inclusion in the draft of efforts to coordinate relationships between military and nongovernmental entities, an approach that will be formally endorsed in the new NATO strategy, Štábl said. To accomplish that, the draft panel was designed to include nonmilitary advisers, including Šimon Pánek, director of the nongovernmental organization People in Need.

Nik Hynek, a researcher for the Prague Institute of International Relations, said a new military policy should realize the importance of balancing both European and trans-Atlantic interests.

"I think one of the things that needs to be overcome is [Defense Minister Alexandr] Vondra's emphasis on a trans-Atlantic structure as opposed to an EU structure," Hynek said. "They're complementary when speaking about a regional security community. There are certain things NATO is not interested in and vice versa, and this is one of the significant things that is going to shape the future of the Czech Republic in the international system and the region."

Vondra is a former Czech ambassador to Washington.

In light of ongoing budget cuts, parts of the White Paper will be "conceptual," Štábl said, because they will be based on a "medium-term" budget. He said a large part of the plan is focused on slimming down the force while improving technology and training for soldiers so they can take part in multinational missions.

The drafting of the paper comes as the military budget is at a historic low, just 1.32 percent of the GDP as compared with 2.25 percent when the country joined NATO in 1999.  In order to fit within that budget, the ministry is considering lowering pay for armed forces employees.

"I cannot imagine any reforms taking place under such circumstances," said Jitka Šebková, chairwoman of the Czech-Moravian Trade Union of Civilian Employees of the Army.

Šebková said budget cuts could result in another 700 civilian Army employees being laid off this year, in addition to the 1,400 laid off last year.

"This has been done without proper analysis - just cropping of staff," Šebková said. "We consider this rather counterproductive."

Sven Biscop, director of the Security and Global Governance Program at the Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, said Czech budget problems are exemplary of the situation across Europe, and a strategy that neglects to coordinate with other European countries would be costly in the long run.

"It's not a question of more money; it's accepting the fact that we will have to reorganize ourselves in a more multinational way," Biscop said. "Fragmentation is a problem; European countries are spending a lot of money on defense, and the Czechs would do good to look at the Lisbon Treaty, where there is a pooling of efforts which could be very useful in this regard."

Some experts who spoke to The Prague Post questioned the competence and balance of the panel in charge of drafting the White Paper, saying the government chose to fill the panel with mainly conservative politicians and individuals with little or no security expertise.

The panel includes - in addition to Pánek and Šedivý - former Defense Minister Luboš Dobrovský, Vondra's new chief adviser and former journalist František Šulc, his first Deputy Chief of Staff Miroslav Žižka, and retired general and ambassador to Slovenia Petr Voznica.

"It seems to me this is a set of experts with no real responsbility for ensuring the security of the Czech Republic, respectively," said Petr Hulinský, shadow defense minister. "And that there is no representation of opposition members of Parliament I consider a mistake."

Hulinský added his greatest criticism of the draft, however, is an updated security strategy should have had priority over initiating the drafting of the White Paper.

"I would expect the government to prepare a new security strategy and then on the basis of it the White Paper as a document of future objectives, tasks and the character of the Czech Army," he said.

Individual members of the drafting committee declined to comment to The Prague Post, referring all questions to the Defense Ministry.

Štábl said opposition leaders would be consulted at least once per month in workshops where the team would meet to discuss the draft with experts and representatives from NGOs.

The White Paper is scheduled for completion by spring 2011.

- Klára Jiřičná and Filip Šenk contributed to this report

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com