Political Science and International Relations

State and the armed forces

Aim of the lectureAim of the lecture• To explain the function of the State in creation of

security and defense policy• To draft the main characteristic of the State in the role

of provider of security• To explain development in Czech Armed Forces

State and provision of securityState and provision of security• Task of the state is to protect individual rights and freedoms

of the individual (citizen), protecting them by law, which is valid, enforceable and enforced for all

• In order for the state to fulfill its basic function, it must ensure its own survival

• In an international environment, there is no arbiter, which would guarantee peaceful settlement of disputes through law and courts. There is no law which would be valid and enforceable to all equally, regardless of their current power

State and provision of securityState and provision of security• The State must ensure its own safety and build an army for

extreme cases

• The main task of the army is to ensure survival of the state

• Every army is essentially a tool designed for the exercise of state power

State and provision of securityState and provision of security• The question is, how much should the State invest in tools

for protection of its own defence and security ?

• Every state has a different political and economical limits and differences are on the level of threats and risks. Every state logically pays a significantly different attention to different issues (e.g. Israel vs. Liechtenstein)

State and provision of securityState and provision of security• we can find in ideological concepts of security and defence

provision different solutions to this question :• Militaristic approach• Civic approach • Professional approach• other

State and provision of securityState and provision of securityMeasures taken to ensure national security include:• Use of diplomacy to rally allies and isolate threats• marshalling economic power to facilitate or compel

cooperation• maintaining effective armed forces• Implementing civil defense and emergency

preparedness measures• ensuring the resilience and redundancy of critical

infrastructure

Imperative resources for provision of securityImperative resources for provision of security

• Demographic factors• governmental ability to use state potential in foreign

policy , ability to balance the potential and the aims of foreign policy, and ability to gain approval for this policy in public

• Level of diplomacy• Level of armed forces• Level of moral and public support for national interests

Function of the state in the field of defense and Function of the state in the field of defense and securitysecurity

• Build, maintain and develop military power of state (quality and quantity of armed forces)

• Interest of the State is to create military potential sufficient for defense and promoting of national interest, but simultaneously such, which does not harm other sectors

Development phases of Czech AFDevelopment phases of Czech AF

• Democratization• Integration• Reform – professionalization• Transformation – expedition forces

DEMOKRATIZATION INTEGRATION REFORM TRANSFORMATION

1989 19991994 20061993 2007 2010

New doctrineNew doctrine• Military Doctrine of 1991: Army had exclusively defensive

character• Risk period of transition to the new security system in Europe: A

circular defense„The main task of the Czechoslovak army is based on the preparations for a military attack on Czechoslovakia, to repel threats to the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia by timely adoption of the necessary defense measures. In the case of an ground or air attack to repel an aggressor from any direction and to any part of the territory of Czechoslovakia. The forces that penetrated to the territory of the Republic to destroy by activities of regular or mobilized forces in order to restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty“

• Relocation based on the new doctrine, moving troops from western border to the east, equal deployment of forces

Political tasks in years 1992-2000Political tasks in years 1992-2000• The priority was integration into NATO and the ability to

operate with NATO forces• Continuing the concept of circular defense:

„Czech Armed Forces must be prepared to face any military aggression and powerful adversary any direction and under any conditions initiation and conduct of war“

• Additionally, the ability to contribute to peacekeeping missions abroad

• Planned to increase the number of professional soldiers (mainly NCOs), for long-term AF should be maintained by army reservists

NATO and EU membershipNATO and EU membershipThe Czech Republic successfully completed its accession talks

and became a NATO member country, together with Hungary and Poland, on 12 March 1999, the day, which has been observed as the Day of Accession to NATO in the Czech Republic since

The Czech military is engaged in the integrated NATO military structure, contributing to defence, operations and civil crisis management planning. It takes part in the procedural and organisational aspects of nuclear consultations, participates in joint exercises, and actively commits its troops for NATO-led multinational operations

The ACR is also engaged in the EU military structure, as the Czech Republic became a EU member country on1 May 2004. The Czech military participates in joint exercises and operations

ProfessionalizationProfessionalization

• After admission to NATO the most important political issue of military policy became professionalization of Armed Forces

• Change of opinion in late 90th, first at Civil Democratic Party• 1996:Armed Forces of the Czech Republic will continue to rely on

conscripts, including increasing of professionalization .....• 1998: Czech Army program document for the 21 centuryProposed timetable for the establishment of a fully professional

Czech Armed Forces. This should be a small, modern, mobile, numbering 38,000 soldiers and 6,000 civilian employees with the established system of active reserves (30-50 thousand people)

ProfessionalizationProfessionalizationSince 2000, CDP openly promotes professional army in the media.

The transition should take 8-10 yearsArguments:• There is a sharp shift from the protection or defense of

territory to defend of the interests• Defense of our interests, participation in support

operations and peace enforcement and defense of our allies. All these operations are likely to take place outside our territory. Basic military service undergo only a minority of the male population and this service gets discriminatory character

ProfessionalizationProfessionalization

• Event 2001 - NATO Summit in Prague• Professionalization: after the 2002 change in attitudes of

government CSDP• Concept of Building a Professional Army in 2002 envisaged the

professionalization till 2006• The problem was to guarantee the financial resources to carry

out reforms. Since 2003, the source frame 5x reduced• Question – perception AF by civic public (to what extent

professionalization leads to a decline of the interest of society about questions of defense and security)

Czech Armed ForcesCzech Armed ForcesThe primary mission of ACR is to ensure the military defence of the country

against aggression and to meet commitments derived from international obligations and treaties of the Czech Republic on collective defence

It is also set to fulfill tasks within peacekeeping operations in regions of instability or conflicts, and to implement rescue and humanitarian missions both in the national territory and abroad

In its effort to become a NATO member country, the Czech Republic joined the Partnership for Peace Programme in 1994. It enabled the Czech military to absorb NATO procedures in defence planning and and implement the force build-up, tailored to Alliance standards and overall goals

1,81% 1,68%1,52% 1,43%

1,65%1,39%

1,23% 1,11% 1,08% 1,05% 1,01%

5,74% 5,66%

5,18%4,78%

5,19%

4,40%

3,87%3,65% 3,56%

3,88% 3,80%

52 953,2 54 253,4

53 906,4

52 896,3

59 726,0

50 845,0

45 708,2

43 474,1

42 053,4

42 027,0 42 027,0

-5 000,0

5 000,0

15 000,0

25 000,0

35 000,0

45 000,0

55 000,0

65 000,0

0,00%

1,00%

2,00%

3,00%

4,00%

5,00%

6,00%

7,00%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

(mill

. CZ

K)

MoD expenditures as a % share on GDP

MoD expenditures as a % share on state budget expenditures

MoD total expenditures

CZE MoD expenditures

Czech Armed ForcesCzech Armed ForcesSince the beginning of 90´s the Czech troops were deployed in Kuwait, Iraq,

Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Albania, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, France, and Lithuania, Iceland

Despite the international appreciation for the professional performance of Czech troops abroad, the domestic public opinion is very skeptic towards the army

The public support is quite weak (perhaps due to historical experience or the feeling of absence of direct military threat) and the political will to keep or increase the defence budget is very low, particularly in the time of austerity

Social spending in the Czech Republic increased by 50% in the last decade while the defence spending fell by the same percentage…

Actually Solved Tasks Coordination of Army involvement in multinational initiatives to build shared

capabilities (Smart Defence, Pooling & Sharing, V4, etc.).

Practical realization of the implementation process „New NATO Command Structure“.

Preparation of organizational changes in accordance with the planned structure and the number of CZ AF in years 2013-2015.

Processing od the summary documents about the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic - the annual exchange of information under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the Vienna Document and the Global exchange of military information.