Budget cuts make the NATO allies search for solutions in joint defence
efforts. Czech Department of Defence is no exception and thus the ten years
old idea of joint Czech and Slovak air force is being revised again.
According to first deputy Jiří Šedivý the sharing of fighter-planes should
not get to an extent where the Czechs would watch over the supreme Slovak
air space and vice versa. "The air-space control is an important part of the
national sovereignty. A situation when an allien pilot shoots down a plane
kidnapped by terrorists over our air-space is hardly acceptable," says
Šedivý. Yet major savings could be reached if both countries proceeded
jointly in the fields like logistics, service, spare parts supply or the
training of the pilots.
Necessary precondition of success in the joint proceedings is the unified
equipment and armament - and that most likely can not be done anytime soon.
While the Czech are in process of negotiations for prolonging the rental of
their 14 Gripens with Sweden, the Slovaks still keep their 12 refurbished
MiGs - 29.
The modern history of the Castle Guard started on 6 December 1918 as the Military High Command of the Czechoslovak Republic issued a directive
earmarking an infantry century from the 28th Infantry Regiment and assigning the unit to guard the seat of the President of the Czechoslovak
Republic. It was called the Castle Century and consisted of three infantry platoons and one machine rifle platoon – in total 5 state employees
and 166 enlisted personnel. It was the first regular military unit to provide military security of the Prague Castle and to perform military
honours as a part of protocol and representation activities of the President of the Republic. Just as nowadays, the Castle Guard was claiming
allegiance in its past heydays to the traditions of the Czechoslovak legions, who shed their blood in the First World War battlefields for the
creation of an independent national state.
After nearly ninety-four years of existence, the Castle Guard is a full-fledged and integral component of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic,
fulfilling the tasks of guarding and defending the residential locations of the President and representing the President in performance of his
duties. Some of the most important official honours the Castle Guard has organised recently were: meeting of the Presidents of the Central
European countries, visit of the Pope, reception of the US and Russian Presidents, organising the state funeral of the former president Václav
Havel, etc. The Castle Guard comprises the Command and Staff, two Guard Battalions, Support Company and Castle Guard Band. The total strength of
the unit is 653 personnel. Perhaps the most distinguishable feature of the Castle Guard soldiers are the characteristic blue uniforms, created by
designer Theodor Pištěk and introduced in 1990. Arms used by the Castle Guard are, particularly, the CZ SCORPION EVO 3A1 submachine gun and the CZ
75 SP-01 PHANTOM pistol; ceremonial arms include the Mod. 52/57 rifle (show version) and the Mod. 2001 rapier.
The Castle Guard not only fulfil their mandatory duties but at the same time represent the State in front of Czech and foreign visitors who
come to the Prague Castle. We can see the soldiers every day during the guard-changing ceremony in the 1st courtyard and during the change of
guards at the entrance gates of the Czech President’s seat.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra signed a "Reciprocal Procurement
of Defense Equipment and Services Agreement" during a NATO meeting in Brussels on April 18.
The deal allows Czech defense industry firms to directly participate in public tenders by the U.S. Defense Department.
So far, Czech firms could only become subcontractors for U.S. companies.
"The agreement reaffirms the importance and vitality of the U.S.-Czech defense relationship and enhances our
cooperative security relationship," said U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in his remarks.
Accordinng to Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra, the deal is of "key significance" for the Czech defense
industry. „It is a major step forward in Czech and U.S. Defense Equipment co-operation,“ added Leon Panetta.
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