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The New Wars: Terrorism and "Asymmetric" Warfare

Reviewed - Review

Alexander Treiblmajer

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2021, Vol. XXX. (LXII.): 93-108

The term "new wars" is often used to describe how terrorist groups achieve objectives in addition to the "classic" means of intervention by states. Terrorist organizations use asymmetric methods of warfare to target the weaknesses of Western states. Consequently, conventional wars have also changed into hybrid wars. The legal status of terrorist organizations is a major problem for the rule of law. In responding to terrorist attacks, the distinction between crime and terrorism is difficult. The "war on terror" is governed by different rules and principles and is extremely difficult to wage. Conflicts last a long time and victory against terrorism is rarely possible due to the networked structure of terrorist organizations and the way they intermingle with the population. In addition to an alliance-wide approach, there is a national solution to answer these new threats in form of the comprehensive national defense in Austria.

Palestine in a Vicious Circle of Violence, Wars and Terror (1948-2023)

Reviewed - Research

Jan Eichler

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2024, Vol. XXXIII. (LXV.): 36-55

This article deals with one of the most explosive areas of the world today, which is the Near and Middle East (NMEA) and especially the territory of historical Palestine, where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (IPC) has been going on for a long time. The text deals primarily with historical and military factors and is written as a historical explanatory analysis. It focuses on the most significant historical events and explains the ways of functioning and the consequences of the processes that have been taking place there for a long time.

Arson Attacks in Israel - History and Options for the Elimination of Inincendiary Balloons

Reviewed - Review

Alena Slavíková, Martin Křepský, František Racek, Antonín Novotný

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2024, Vol. XXXIII. (LXV.): 130-146

The article concerns the issue of arson attacks in Israel.The issue of terrorism in Israel is quite broad, given that it is a very common phenomenon here and Israel deals with terrorism on a daily basis. The paper therefore focuses on incendiary balloons, a weapon that repeatedly caused fires around the Gaza Strip between 2018-2023. It examines their history, their design, outlines the possibilities of their elimination, the advantages and disadvantages of possible technical solutions, and a reflection on the future of their usage.

Leaderless Resistance: Development, Countering and Research of Insurgent Concept

Reviewed - Review

Miroslav Mareš

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 41-56

The paper deals with an insurgent strategic concept "leaderless resistance". It was elaborated by US intelligence officer Colonel Ulius Louis Amoss. It is used by various insurgent actors and it is researched within the context of insurgency and counterinsurgency and interconnected issues (extremism, terrorism etc). The author of this contribution deals with the development tendencies and with the strengths and weaknesses of this strategy (including the derived concepts as "leaderless Jihad" etc.). Its adaptation in the era of modern political and hybrid warfare is explained. Challenges for successful countering from the point of view of security architecture (intelligence and law enforcement agencies, army, non-.state actors) are discussed.

Extremism and Terrorism as Destabilizing Factors of Society

Reviewed - Review

Doc. JUDr. PhDr. Ivo Svoboda, Ph.D., Ing. Michael Hrbata, MPA

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2014, Vol. XXIII. (LV.): 33-41

The article defines extremisms and terrorism as eventual destabilizing moments in society. The paper decomposes possible reasons and grounds of their manifestation, the authors point out that certain signs indicate the penetration of extremisms and terrorism into armed forces structures and civil service, by means of concrete persons. At the end they propose general rules and approaches to keep up this topical phenomenon of the present day.

Impact of the New Technologies on CBRN Terrorist Threats: General Perspective and Perspective of Republic of Croatia

Reviewed - Review

Ivana Cetina, Jugoslav Jozić

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2022, Vol. XXXI. (LXIII.): 119-139

Although the level of the overall CBRN threat in the world is currently considered to be low, there is a trend of a growing concern about CBRN terrorism. Various terrorist groups have shown interest in using CBRN materials to disrupt the global order and economy. The motivation and factors that influence the potential use of CBRN agents in terrorist attacks arise from the fact that CBRN agents have potentially high mortality and can cause serious consequences. A large number of potential dual-use (military and civilian) items as well as the introduction of new technologies in use can be utilized for the CBRN attacks and create a wide range of new possible terrorist (and military) threats. This paper provides a general overview of the past and current situations regarding CBRN terrorism, analyses some of current widely known new technologies that can be utilized for CBRN terrorist attacks and analyses the biggest potential threats from CBRN hazards.

Immigration in France and its security consequences

Reviewed - Review

Jan Eichler

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 3-22

The article is about the immigration in France and its consequences on the security field. It starts by the historical context and pays a big attention to the development during last two decades. It analyses the process of the islamisation on the cultural, social, security, and political levels. It continues by the French debate which reflects the clash of two contrasting approaches: political correctness vs. critical attitudes. The French experts dispute about two key subjects: the numbers of the immigrants and, namely, the correlations between the immigration and the growing numbers and brutality of the terrorist attacks (the so - called amalgam). The last part analyses the place and the role the immigrants in the French armed forces. This text offers an original periodisation of the phenomena of the immigration in France since the first post WW II years until today. It examines not only its quantitative aspects, but also its qualitative changes.

Czech Defense Policy in the Light of Strategic Culture

Reviewed - Research

Vladimír Karaffa, Cyril Svoboda

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2025, Vol. XXXIV. (LXVI.): 3-23

The article analyzes key aspects of the development of the Czech Republic‘s defense policy since 1989, with a focus on the role of strategic culture. It examines historical, political, and social factors that have shaped the Czech Republic‘s approach to defense and security issues. Special attention is given to the transformation of the Czech Armed Forces, the transition to a professional military model, and responses to changing geopolitical threats. The analysis also considers public perceptions of the military, the influence of historical narratives on strategic culture, and the attitudes of political elites toward defense matters. The article highlights the importance of strategic culture as an analytical framework for understanding long-term trends and the evolution of defense policy, while suggesting potential avenues for future research in the Czech context.


Force Ratio and Battle Casualties

Reviewed - Research

Vladimír Vráb, Jan Zezula

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2025, Vol. XXXIV. (LXVI.): 139-154


The assessment of force ratios and battle casualties is a crucial aspect of the military decision-making process. This article evaluates three different tools used by the Army of the Czech Republic at the tactical level: a calculator based on Lanchester's laws, a module within the Battle Information System, and a constructive simulation system. The results indicate that while all tools produce similar outputs, the constructive simulation system offers more accurate estimates of combat losses for both equipment and personnel. Additionally, this system enhances the ability of commanders and staff to adapt to changing scenarios during planning. The primary conclusion is that the constructive simulation system provides a practical and flexible solution for supporting the military decision-making process at the brigade and battalion levels.

Analysis of Iranian Revolution Guard Corps in the Context of its Inclusion on the List of Foreign Terrorist Organisation

Reviewed - Review

Matěj Macháček

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 92-106

United states of America classified from 2019 Iranian revolution guards as "foreign terrorist organisation". Article analyses consequences of this step. Text in the introduction presents Guards and highlights the differences between this organization and "classical" terrorist organization. Goal of the main part of text is to analyze American steps and finds consequences resulting from it. This work concluded that though legal consequences of putting Guards on the list of "foreign terrorist organization" are small, on the other hand its practical impacts are huge. There was also found link between putting Guards on this list and new American strategy of "maximal pressure" against Iran.

Civil War in Myanmar. Causes, Actors, Development

Reviewed

Miroslav Nožina

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2024, Vol. XXXIII. (LXV.): 91-104

The civil war in Myanmar has been going on for more than seven decades. After the military coup in February 2021, it has undergone significant structural changes and gained new momentum. The causes of the conflict lie in the inability of different ethnic and political groups to find a way to coexist within a single state entity and the autonomisation of the military. The main actors in the war in Myanmar today are the military junta and its supporters, the democratic opposition and ethnic organisations. After the coup, the strength of the resistance movement and its operational capabilities are growing. However, this growth has its limits, given the continued disunity of opposition forces, the technical superiority of the Myanmar army and the strengthening of its numbers through compulsory conscription.

Review of the Author´s Monography - Jiří Fidler

Nonreviewed - Other

Jan Eichler

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2024, Vol. XXXIII. (LXV.): 145-148

The personality of the seventh Czechoslovak president, army general Ludvík Svoboda, is well known to older generations, younger generations are aware of him because of the controversies of recent times. Although there are many biographies of Svoboda, they are mostly determined by the time of their creation and the effort to avoid naming the problems of the time.

The UN and NATO as the Main Pillars of the International Security Architecture with a Focus on the Middle East Region

Reviewed - Research

Yvona Novotná-Šabacká

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2024, Vol. XXXIII. (LXV.): 18-35

This study provides a summary overview of the creation and the activities of the international security architecture in the form of their two main pillars, i.e. the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Near and Middle East region. Within the framework of international security relations, this is a very unstable and conflictual region, where this instability has lasted practically since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The global UN, its overall activity and importance, especially humanitarian and peace-building activities not only for the Near and Middle East region, is very beneficial, through out the Cold War period up to the present day. As a security organization, NATO is among the most important global actors influencing current international security relations. Through their activities, both of these organizations represent a essential means of ensuring world peace and security.

Islamic Terrorism of Jemaah Islamiyah Organization as a Today's Topical Threat

Reviewed - Review

Ing. Michael Hrbata, MPA

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2014, Vol. XXIII. (LV.): 42-49

This paper refers about the threat of Islamic terrorism, its roots, motives, as well as its origins. Namely the author informs about the Jemaah Islamiyah, Islamic organization, which is less know in the Czech Republic. Indonesia has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim (88,2 % of Indonesia´s population). It is generally regarded as a tolerant country, in which various religions living side by side without larger problems. Nevertheless even here the danger of violent Islamic terrorism has arisen. The theme is treated in a proper historical context, with regards to possible impacts on security situation in the world.

Strategic Communications: From a Reactive Fight Against Disinformation Towards Comprehensive Use in Support of National Security and Defence

Reviewed - Review

Vendula Divišová

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2022, Vol. XXXI. (LXIII.): 34-53

The concept of strategic communications rose to prominence especially with the events linked to the Crimea annexation and Russian intervention in Eastern Ukraine. As such it has been mostly related to the reactive fight against disinformation and propaganda or other elements of the hybrid campaign. This paper aims to point to the much broader potential for the tool of strategic communications in support of goals in the realm of national security and defence, while it is understood as proactive efforts and specific mindset using the information effect to advance national interests. Based on the literature review, benefits of strategic communications beyond hybrid campaigns are identified also in the fields of foreign military operations, counterinsurgency, counter-terrorism, deterrence and crisis management. It describes the informational, particularly, the cognitive, dimensions of these security threats as well as of the measures to counter them.

From Plan Gideon to Plan Tnufa: Israeli defense strategy and the buildup of the Israeli Defense Forces in the wider context of the Middle East after the Arab Spring

Reviewed - Research

Ľubomír Zvada, Jiří Lach

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2023, Vol. XXXII. (LXIV.): 24-44

Based on the content analysis method, this study analyzes the first ever published security strategy of the Israel Defense Forces, which was published in 2015. The main objective of the paper is not only to present the circumstances of its creation and discuss the main objectives of this strategic security document, but also to outline the broader geopolitical context from which it emerged. The authors argue that the document primarily emphasized two areas - the use of force and capacity building of the Israeli military. Among other things, the publication of the strategy was intended to have a deterrent effect. In the conclusion, the authors compare the Gideon Plan and its follow-up, the Tnufa Plan, and point to the considerable importance that consensus among political and military elites has in the implementation of such a document and reflect on what lessons and inspiration can be drawn from this case in our geographic space in the process of formulating or reformulating strategic security documents.

Analysis of Taiwan Guerilla Potential - A Real Possibility or a Naive Notion?

Reviewed - Review

Richard Oubělický

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2023, Vol. XXXII. (LXIV.): 35-49

Existing research about China and Taiwan deals primarily with bilateral relations, military doctrines, etc. They don't pay much attention to the consequences of the potential China-Taiwan war. The article examines conditions for emerging and activity of guerillas with paramilitant signs in the case of China's domination over Taiwan. The analysis is based on the present general, socio-economic, political, geographical, and technological environment. A substantial part of the analysis is also argumentation about the potential of urban guerilla. The article is based on data, pieces of information, polls and academic and analytical texts relevant to the main research questions. Those questions are the potential for emerging, sustainability, and effectiveness of guerilla. The article comes with findings, that argue the relatively high potential for the emergence of guerilla primarily because of the suitable environment in Taiwan and possible effectiveness and sustainability based on existing variables, which can however also limit this potential.

Financing of Terrorism

Reviewed - Review

Josef Smolík, Veronika Svatošová

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2017, Vol. XXVI. (LVIII.): 73-88

The issue of terrorism is becoming increasingly important on the level of social, economic, political and security. The threat of terrorism affects at the same time, societal and cultural events. Professional and academic discussion addresses the causes and possible consequences of this phenomenon. To understand the implications of terrorism, it is necessary to look at this issue from the perspective of terms of its financing. This review study aims to define the term financing of terrorism on the one hand, but also to identify possible sources of financing of terrorism, including the most used payment methods by terrorist organizations. This study also leads a discussion on the efforts and effectiveness of the various authorities in the fight for detecting terrorism, especially in relation to the detection of its financial flows. The study also defines the possible pitfalls in the fight against terrorism and detecting its sources of financing and attempts to outline possible alternatives while increasing success in this fight.

Some Military Consequences of the United Kingdom's Exit from the European Union

Reviewed - Review

Antonín Novotný, František Racek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2021, Vol. XXX. (LXII.): 3-26

The article deals with some military consequences of the departure of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union (Brexit). To assess the potential impacts on defence and security of EU, a structured approach involving several methods was used in the analysis, which combines a search of professional publications, factors sensitivity analysis and testing of hypotheses. Based on the analysis, it was evaluated that the departure of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the structures of the European Union will take place without significant impact in the military field and does not pose an immediate threat to the security and defence of EU member states. Nevertheless, in connection with Brexit, there is still a certain risk of negative impacts in this area.

Current Approaches of the Czech Republic, the EU and NATO to Hybrid Threats

Reviewed - Research

Martin Havlík

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2022, Vol. XXXI. (LXIII.): 3-16

The article discusses the current approach of the Czech Republic to the phenomenon of hybrid threats and analyses the fundamental shortcomings that determine the effective management of these threats. As part of a comprehensive approach, the text is supplemented by the current view of the European Union and NATO on addressing the issue of hybrid action by hostile actors. A summary comparison of the approaches of the Czech Republic, the European Union and NATO points to the need for mutual institutional synergy among these entities. Although the current approaches of the mentioned subjects are relatively sufficiently doctrinally anchored, the absence of a complex and especially practically functioning apparatus and specific operational tools that would be able to face a wide range of hybrid threats persists.

Approaches to Modernizing the Land Forces of Selected Countries

Reviewed - Review

Vladimír Vyklický, Ivo Pikner, Josef Procházka

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2022, Vol. XXXI. (LXIII.): 3-20

The modernization of armaments and military technology is one of the ways to increase the combat potential of the Armed Forces and has implications at all levels of the Armed Forces. Its main purpose is to replace obsolete technology with new ones to prepare the Armed Forces to meet the new challenges of the future security environment. New technologies play a key role in this regard. Not only the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, but also other NATO and EU member states have planned significant modernization projects for conventional military conflict but also unconventional, asymmetric and hybrid conflicts. The authors examine approaches to the modernization of the Land Forces of selected countries. Finally, the armament strategy of selected countries is compared with the armament strategy of the Czech Republic's Land Forces.

The Revolt of French Soldiers Against the Failing Immigration Policy

Reviewed - Review

Jan Eichler

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2021, Vol. XXX. (LXII.): 3-22

The article is about the revolt of French soldiers against the failing immigration policy of their country. It explains its rational causes at the historical, geopolitical as well as security levels. It analyses its three main acts since 2013 until today and presents their key actors: the high level generals and politicians. These acts are presented as historical accidents. The article shows that French soldiers refuse to be silent face to face big stakes, especially on the field of defence of the Republic against the growing violence of young immigrants. The text continues with the analysis of two manifests of French soldiers from spring 2021 that evoke the threat of the civil war in France and the role of the Armed forces in such a scenario.

Psychology of Terrorism and the Staircase Mataphor

Reviewed - Review

PhDr. Josef Smolík, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2015, Vol. XXIV. (LVI.): 82-101

The article deals with the contemporary form of terrorism, introduces selected issues and discusses the psychology of terrorism. Various forms and typologies of contemporary terrorism which occurs in different geographical and cultural areas and uses large scale of methods and tactical and strategic approaches are introduced as well.The main goal of this article is to describe psychological aspects of terrorism with the emphasis on the motivation and group dynamics of terrorist organizations. The staircase metaphor which allows thinking about the process of recruitment of terrorists is introduced as well. The article derives especially from theoretical socio-psychological and political findings.

NATO After the End of the Cold War

Reviewed - Review

Jan Eichler

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2021, Vol. XXX. (LXII.): 3-25

The article analyses the process of the NATO enlargement after 1990. It starts by a detailed analysis of the secret negotiations which have been started just after the end of the Cold War. In the light of the institutional liberalism, the NATO enlargement is a positive process which satisfied especially new member states. But in the light of the American neorealism, this process resulted into profound changes in the balance of the security threats and into a large militarisation and tension at the new Eastern frontier of NATO in a direct neighbourhood with the Russia. New military units with the modern arms systems are deployed over there and we are witnessing a growing number of dangerous military incidents. As a result, the contemporary situation needs new political negotiations between two competitors and a shift from the contemporary negative Peace towards the positive Peace.

Concepts of the Hybrid Warfare and the Czech Armed Forces

Reviewed - Review

Martin Havlík

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2021, Vol. XXX. (LXII.): 38-51

The goal of this review article is to briefly describe the development trends in the conceptualization of the phenomenon of hybrid warfare and to try a basic comparison of the key features of twenty important concepts with emphasis on selected Western, Russian and Chinese theoretical concepts. A substantial part of the article also deals with a closer characterization of hybrid warfare with the intention of clarifying the possible relationship of this type of warfare to the activities of the Czech Armed Forces. In connection with the importance of hybrid warfare and hybrid threats, the article is supplemented with essential recommendations that the Czech Republic and the Czech Armed Forces should reflect. The emphasis on content and the above arguments confirm that looking at the phenomenon of hybrid action and warfare as a novelty is very debatable. Rather than a new concept of warfare, it is a newly accentuated term "hybrid" describing long-known combinations of power tools used.

Islamic State: Conflict Actors, their Participation, Motives and Goals

Reviewed - Review

Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2015, Vol. XXIV. (LVI.): 20-36

This text is focused on current situation in Syria and Iraq and so called Islamic State, the one of the biggest threats of contemporary world. The rise of this quasi­state at background of civil war in Syria and still not fully solved conflict in Iraq is the result of involvement of many internal and external actors. The form of their involvement and especially their goals are very different from each other and despite sporadic and declaratory agreements in partial points the main reason the Islamic State still exists in very good shape is disunited attitude of local and external powers against it. The main aim of this text is to explain and to analyze main motives and goals of all relevant actors and sides of mentioned conflict and describe the way they affect its dynamics. Due to that it is possible to increase the knowledge of readers in such a chaotic, unclear and often misinterpreted situation in the Middle-East.

Border Defense against Infiltration and Guerilla Attacks

Reviewed - Research

Michael Bátrla

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2015, Vol. XXIV. (LVI.): 102-118

The text deals with the use of border defense as a means of protection against guerrilla attacks and infiltration, through a combination of principles of modern stationary fortifications and forward area defense. These are discussed on the case study of the Northern Border Security Project of Saudi Arabia. The role of attacker takes quasi-state formation the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). The aim is to analyze whether the project would endure distinctive types of asymmetric attacks. Vulnerability prioritization for each component determines the most likely targets and their characteristics. This is a subjective semi quantitative method known as CARVER matrix. Subsequently, based on established premises, the text discusses three selected scenarios that use guerrilla tactics with elements of terrorism against selected targets. Attack scenarios show some of the possible ways of improvement for the project. In conclusion, the author makes recommendations for possible adjustments and assess the potential of using the project as a protection against asymmetric attacks. After reading the text, the reader is informed about the project, its components, as well as recommendations that can be applied in the further use of this type of defense.

Warfare and its Forms

Reviewed - Review

Ján Spišák, Jan Gireth, Marek Fiebich

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 20-35

The article deals with the issue of warfare. Its aim is to describe and clarify the character of warfare in its contemporary doctrinal context. The authors of the article focused on the specifics of individual forms of warfare and its complexity within the annexation of Crimea by the armed forces of the Russian Federation in 2014. Description, content and comparative analysis of used sources and doctrinal publications were used. The authors conclude that the complexity of contemporary warfare creates appropriate conditions for the nation and its armed forces to enforce its interests and achieve strategic goals. The main contribution of the article is to provide information that is not available in professional literature or it is not part of doctrinal or other national military publications.

The Role of Discursive Behavior in the Colombian Conflict

Reviewed - Review

Milan Školník

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 102-115

One of the longest conflicts in Latin-American history ended in 2016 when then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest guerrilla movement in Colombia. His predecessor, the current senator Álvaro Uribe, opposed the peace agreement, believing that an offensive against the guerrillas was the right approach. This article shows how these two Colombian presidents framed guerillas and what strategies and expressions were used in their presidential speeches. The main argument is that the conciliatory discourse of President Santos helped to finally achieve peace. The research paper uses a comparative method and the concept of framing.

Reasons of formation and integration of cyber forces and information operations into the Army of the Czech Republic

Nonreviewed - Other

Martin Havlík

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2020, Vol. XXIX. (LXI.): 72-86

The goal of this informative article is to comprehensively describe the causes of the formation and integration of cyber forces and information operations into the structure of the Army of the Czech Republic, including other significant connotations. The intention is not to present new scientific findings, but to point out the meaning of the existence of cybernetics and information operations as a necessary separate component of the Army of the Czech Republic capable of responding to the dynamic development of the security environment and the continuous development of modern technologies. The content and main arguments of this article reflect the transition from the classical form of warfare to the new platform, represented mainly by cyber space and a hybrid combination of a wide range of power tools with an emphasis on information operations.

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