It has been twelve years already since the Czech Republic, along with Hungary and Poland, accessed to the North Atlantic Alliance. With its history beginning on 12 March 1999, our NATO membership had turned into a priority of the highest ones for the Czech international and security policies short after communism’s collapse. The University of Defence remembered the event of national history at a meeting held on Thursday, 10 March 2011 attended by school staff and students and the representatives of civic associations and partner organisations.

Colonel Jaroslav Průcha, University of Defence vice-rector for external relations welcomed the attendants to the assembly and read Czech Minister of Defence Alexander Vondra’s open letter on the occasion of Czech Republic’s accession to NATO. It mentions inter alia the successful results as well as the weak points and challenges for the Army of the Czech Republic: “In few weeks I will present the White Book of Defence that shall outline the principles for the Ministry of Defence and for the armed forces to direct the effort in the following years. It shall not bring answers to all questions, it shall not be the magic wand that would cure all the maladies from day to day. Though, it shall realistically tell where to go so that we would be able to provide the citizens of this country with the service they pay for and the allies expect. “

In his open letter, Minister later mentioned that the primary actuator of the oncoming long term change will be the military and civilian personnel of the Ministry of Defence. “All the time we have to keep reminding the purpose and mission of armed forces, it is assuring our national security. As we cannot meet the goal alone at the moment but only with our allies, we have to keep reminding our promises of the 1990s in our accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. We should bear in mind: one for all and all for one,“ says the letter.

Assembly agenda continued with video shots of operation of the currently deployed Czech military helicopter unit in ISAF mission in Afghanistan and a presentation by air gunners senior inspector Warrant Officer 1st class Libor Pernička who serves at the 23 helicopter air base in Přerov. He had been deployed in several overseas missions, besides Afghanistan also in Kosovo, for example, and attracted everybody’s attention when talked of his experience.

As the last but not least part of the agenda, JUDr. Bohumír Dufek for the Moravian and Silesian chapter of the Support Technical Battalions – Military Forced Labour Camps association, addressed the assembly on behalf of all partner associations and organisations that cooperate with the University of Defence.

To download: Minister’s of Defence open letter in Czech

Text and photo: Zdeňka Dubová