Vojenské Rozhledy

Czech Military Review

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Results 241 to 270 of 4134:

The Organizational Set up of MoD Sector and the Implementation of White Paper Intentions

Reviewed - Review

Ing. Vladimír Krulík

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 3-16 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.02.003-016

The purpose of this comprehensive study is to describe organizational scheme inside defence sector and recollect some more or less neglected rules of its organizational structure. This paper ought to confute some of the myths that are repeatedly used for advancing somebody's particular interests, frequently opposing to smooth running defence sector and its subordinate elements, their performances and duties. The author's prime motive is to explain this problem to a wide public and thus contribute to opening the discussion on this theme, well in advance, before the measurements originated in the White Paper on Defence would be put forward and implemented by some proposers, backed by subjective misconceptions and interpretations of actual state of affairs.

Leader of the Free Word and the Balance of Threats: Understanding Obama's New Defence Strategy

Informational pages

Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Ludvík

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 77-85 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.02.077-085

This strategy has received substantial attention and triggered the discussion about the future of U.S. security policy and America's role in the world. The article argues that American strategy is often misunderstood, particularly in the Czech environment. Obama's defence strategy and its foundations must be explained through the lenses of the balance of threats developed by Stephen Walt. Washington is balancing what it perceives to be the greatest threat to American leadership in the world. Threats are presented by emerging power of People's China, the situation in Middle East. Europe is not less important; it is still an important American ally.

The Americans Withdrew from Iraq and Changed Military Strategy

Informational pages

PhDr. Antonín Rašek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 86-90 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.02.086-090

American military strategy was preparing long before the US troops left Iraq. The published document reacted to circumstances after the end of Iraq conflict and planning withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. Pentagton's analysis underlined the fact that in the following years, US forces would not conduct wars similar to Afghanistan and Iraq. Defence secretary Leon Panetta told reporters that American forces were going to be smaller but more effective, innovative and technologically advanced. In spite of budget cuts, military expenditures were planned larger in volume then in the last year of G. W. Bush's presidential term.

Seeking Foundations of Economy Methods and Savings in MoD Sector

Informational pages

Prof. PhDr. František Ochrana, DrSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 91-101 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.02.091-101

This paper deals with theoretical and practical correlations of "additional" savings in defence sector. Referring to conclusions of White Paper of Defence, the author differencites between rational savings and irrational ones, i.e. the false savings. Rational savings lead us to higher economy, effecitivy and usefulness. Irrational savings present non-system measures when respective "cuts" are only for for appearance's sake, the savings are only for show. In reality, in terms of long-term prospects they will bring even higher social expenditures before those "cuts" were introduced. The author proposes several recommendations concerning effective saving to eliminate wasting defence sources.

Financial Crisis and Its Impacts on State Budget: Sources of Anti-Crisis Strategy by Defence Department

Opinions, controversy

Prof. PhDr. František Ochrana, DrSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 89-98 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.01.089-098

When the White Paper on Defence was drafted, there was lot optimism as of crisis, then only set in motion. It was regarded as a mere limited, transitional phenomenon. Nowadays we see that it is not a standard crisis known from history, but the so-called systems crises. It is a different sort of crises; we ought to respond by systems reaction in which the society should response to crisis as a whole. This paper originated as a research paper dealing with methods the Czech state should adapt to avert opening crises, with all its sectors and components, including the sector of Department of Defence. The author proposes to draw up a working document "The Army for the Next Twenty Years".

The Current State and Trends in Space Security

Informational pages

Ing. Vladimír Šilhan, CSc., MSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 132-147 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.01.132-147

Space applications and use of satellite data became an important tool for production and development of many companies and institutions, as well as indispensable part of our daily lives, when using e.g. satellite navigation or TV broadcasting. Proper functioning of those services, however, requires the security of space assets at the orbits, their ground stations and the transmition links. The basic threat for space assets is the growing number of debris at the orbits. Space Situation Awareness has a growing importance and sharing information among all main space actors becomes a pre-requisite. Efforts to agree on common guidelines to mitigate possible risks related to outer space activities are made both within the UN and the EU as well as among all space agencies.

Forming Security Culture of the European Union (European Security Strategy)

Reviewed - Research

Doc. PhDr. Jan Eichler, CSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 22-36

The Document ESS 2003 laid down foundations of our present-day security and strategy culture. It was formed as a summary of several historical and political factors that are introduced in two starting chapters, followed by the more detailed analysis into ESS 2003, its main characteristics influencing EU security and strategic culture. The ESS 2003 is compared with the American doctrinal document NSS 2002. The European security strategy of 2003 is not compared with following American strategical documents, as they were unknown in time of its drafting. The author comes into the conclusion that in spite of indisputable differences, the EU shares the same values as the US, and the EU as an American strategical ally is facing the same threats and challenges as the US does, and in case of need, there is a possibility of combined military actions.

Management of Sources at a Level of Army Unit: Commander's Position

Military professional

Doc. dr. Luboš Štancl, CSc., pplk. Ing. Karel Vávra

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 120-137

Topical problems of insufficient military budget, limited means are a drive force for searching unoccupied financial means to saturate set goals and ensure their unbiased reallocation and rational exploitation. The necessary prerequisite is control implementation and managerial accounting. This ought to create primary predispositions for introducing managerial accounting system, which would be oriented not towards financial, and property operations, but towards effective economy. The article describes phenomena tied with an army unit, together with the position of its commander in the process of gradual implementation of integrated informational system of state treasury, which is most manifested in the field of planning, budgeting and accounting.

Private Military Companies (New Elements in Operational Environment)

Military art

Ing. Jaroslav Kulíšek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 71-96

This article deals with PMSCs as a relatively new phenomenon in warfare areas. It is open to discussion whether private military companies and the private contractors that they employ, should be treated just like any other transnational industry, or whether they should be treated like mercenaries under international law. As it happened in many countries, private companies and private contractors operate in a legal vacuum. From a strictly legal point of view individuals employed by private military companies are not to be considered as mercenaries. The private military industry offers a wide range of services. Procurement of military services by individuals and private firms has developed in a direction that had probably not been anticipated in previous years. Some military analysts say that the exclusive role of the state in the domain of defence and security is outdated and should be re-examined.

Defence strategy: Vision of Responsibility

Nonreviewed - Research

Ing. Josef Opluštil

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 3-5

The new ten-year defence strategy of the Czech Republic has been approved. The document stresses that despite the continuing recession, our state should not allow the military being weakened by further reduction of resources. This could worsen the quality of the military and weaken the Czech Republic's credibility in the international community. There is also the risk of the financial, organisational and personnel destabilisation of the Czech defence system that would bring about a loss of the quality of military personnel, a decayed prestige of the military service, an erosion of the state military capabilities. The new defence strategy is not a cure-all medicine. By its adoption the real

NATO Common Funding as a Tool for Cohesion Enhancement and Ability to Act

Military art

Ing. Josef Procházka, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 25-34 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.04.025-034

In the past, the Common Funding played only marginal role in the NATO strategic decision-making. However, this situation changed significantly when the global economic crisis challenged the national public expenditures and NATO defence policy became a matter of serious reflections. NATO should balance its requirements with limited resources and adjust its future activities within shrinking budgets. NATO must make hard decisions and implement reforms in order to ensure its ability to fulfil its mission and priority tasks in the long run. The reconfiguration of Common Funding is an inherent part of this process. The aim of this article is to introduce Common Funding as a management-supporting tool of the international organisation under currently mounting resource constrains.

Operational Analysis: Key Capability Supporting Decision-making

Military art

Ing. Pavel Zůna, MSS, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 35-44

The defence environment is complex and dynamic. This is a result of the nature of modern conflict, rapid changes in technology, the need to deal with uncertainty in the face of limited sources, changed attitudes to risk and the sheer diversity of actors from different cultural backgrounds. Defence-decision makers are confronted with an increasing operational complexity that has strategic implications. Decisions on defence policy and strategy are characterized by uncertainty and risks. This Article describes differences in Hard and Soft Operational Analyses, and presents some examples and conclusions for military practice.

Biodromal Preparation Concept of Citizens for their Protection during Emergencies

Military professional

JUDr. et PhDr. Jaroslav Padrnos, CSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 99-110

People must be prepared for unexpected anddangerous situations that must be dealt with immediately. The prerequisite of people training for the emergency situations is their overall preparation. The concept ought to be extending over a relatively long time, well elaborated and coherent. The prerequisite of such preparation is the existence of appropriate laws supporting a lifelong, "biodromaly" conceived educational concept. The readers have a chance to familiarise themselves with results from sociological inquiry, being done at the end of 2010, and with several acts tied with civil emergency preparation.

Czech Professional Army: Initial Five Years

Book review

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 129-135

This year, the Hlávka Economy Institute published a book "Professional Army in the Czech Republic: First Five Years", by Bohuslav Pernica. It is a study dealing with first five years in which the Czech Republic transformed its forces from a conscription army to all-volunteer one. The author sees the necessity to go professional in context of changed global surrounding after the end of Cold War. The subject is treated mainly from economy point of view. He pays attention to three important issues related to this transformation: recruitment /retention, training /education, and substandard soldier's pay, which is one of roots of low service competitiveness on civil labour market.

Intelligence Services (A Multidisciplinary Approach to Problem)

Book review

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 136-138

In our country we can meet various publications on intelligence activities, nevertheless we feel the lack of expert books with wider overreach. Among those publications that fulfil such demands belongs the work by Ladislav Pokorný "Secret Agencies", Prague: Auditorium, 2012. The book covers intelligence organizations of all kinds, including military ones. In military section the reviewer cites the famous ironic sentence "Under the Czech Law, we have three intelligence services, in fact there are four of them, with five directors". The publication is of high information value and could also serve as a university textbook.

A Brief Insight into the History of Operational Art and its Contemporary Aspects (Part II)

Military art

Ing. Ján Spišák

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 48-54 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.03.048-054

Operational art is the use of creative thinking by commanders and staffs to design strategies, campaigns, and major operations and organize and employ military forces. This article is a sequel to the study published in a previous issue of this Military Revue. The author discusses the fundamental pillars of operational art, upon which Alliance countries build their doctrinal and defence documents concerning operational art. A separate section deals with conditions and status of operational art in the Army of the Czech Republic in the last 20 years. The author calls for the need to introduce operational art in several key areas of Czech doctrines. He recalls the necessity to implement those issues in the prepared Doctrine of the ACR.

NATO Response Forces: Alliance Contribution to International Security

Military art

plukovník Ing. Radoslav Ivančík, prof. Ing. Vojtech Jurčák, CSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 55-64 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.03.055-064

In spite of the fact that the security tensions are not so high as during the cold war, with impending nuclear conflict, the global security situation is far from ideal. Fundamental changes in a global security environment have brought except a lot of positives also many negatives, in a form of various asymmetric security threats. The rise of new military and nonmilitary dangers, under the influence of globalization and contemporary worldwide economic crisis, is directly related to the need of conflict prevention, crisis management, peace missions, law enforcement, or support to humanitarian assistance.

Cost Analysis: Nourishment in Time of Crisis Situation

Military professional

Ing. Bc. Eva Lukášková, Ph.D., Ing. Bc. Helena Velichová, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 131-139 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.03.131-139

The inseparable parts of sustenance costs are expenses for nutrition of members of Integrated Rescue System (IRS) and evacuated civil population. The system covers distribution of foodstuff above all into evacuation centres, preparation of food (cooking), disposing wastes, remnants and leftovers. The collected data were used for calculating and analysis of overall costs spent for all discussed groups. Upon this analyses the authoresses draw final conclusions.

The Fragmentarization of Europe as a Security Threat Europe 2010: Predictions and Reality

Military sociology

PhDr. Antonín Rašek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 148-164

Unlike the real state of affairs, the scenarios for Europe 2010 did not presuppose the rise of financial and economy crises. Political scientists did not perceive the series of terrorist attacks, namely in Great Britain, Spain and Russia. Security questions, home security and defence, came to the foreground more then was originally expected. There are hubs of future power blocks of divided Europe. It is impossible to incorporate all the results and consequences of our presuppositions. Since we want to look into individual, particularly interesting developments, the author recommends to create several teams for individual scenarios, instead of drawing several scenarios by one scholarly team.

Strategic Culture: Concept Presentation

Reviewed - Review

Ing. Tomáš Pospíšil

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 26-33

Studies of the importance of culture have gained greater attention in the post-Cold War era. In present world, there are many fenomena that can't be explained in terms of neorealism. There is the consensus in national security policy studies that culture may significantly affect grand strategy and state behaviour. It limits behavioural choices, from which we could derive predictions about our strategic choice. This study is based among others upon Johnston's strategic culture concept related to three generations. The study is divided into five parts: at first the author introduces general concept of strategic culture, the second, third and fourth parts correspond to individual generations. In closing part the author explains his own understanding to this concept.

A Brief Insight into the History of Operational Art and its Contemporary Aspects (Part I)

Military art

Ing. Ján Spišák

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 34-39 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.02.034-039

Understanding the importance and role of present-day operational art is not always a matter of knowledge of relevant doctrinal publications or the use of experiences from military operations. Number of aspects of operational art had their roots deep in the history of warfare. Many of them are unknown or forgotten. This article aims to give the reader some basic information about the context that led to the awareness of the need of operational art and finally to real fulfilling the imaginary gap between strategy and tactics, which was the place for operational art. The article briefly describes the background of the emergence of operational art and the approach of two basic schools of military theory: Soviet and German that were crucial to its development.

Security and Strategic Culture of USA, EU and CR

Book review

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 168-174

It is the title of homonymous publication by Jan Eichler from the Institute of Foreign Relations. The author depicts basic characteristics of main features of security and strategic culture of present world. He tries to answer the following three questions: What are historical and political factors of security /strategical culture of respective actors, what are main features of their doctrinal documents, and their impacts on the development of global international relations in the early 21st century? He deduces that the participation of the CR in military interventions in third world countries could generate a risk of terrorist's attacks against not only members of armed forces abroad, but also installations in our state territory.

Jaroslav Janda: The 80th Anniversary of His Birth

Personal data

Antonín Rašek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 180-186

After several years of service with armour corps he devoted himself to social organizations in the forces, among others he was a head of department for military youth. In 1968 he became a deputy Czech minister for youth, PT and sports. During period of normalization he was released from the army. He made his living as a free lance translator and author. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989 he became advisor to deputy defence minister for humanitarian affairs, later he became assistant to deputy defence minister for strategical control, deputy director of Institute for Strategic Studies, deputy director of Institute of International Relations. After his untimely death, the prize named after him for works in the field of defence was established.

The Total Force Policy and Some Issues of Building-Up of the Militia-Like Units in the Czech National Security System

Military art

Bohuslav Pernica

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 79-88 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.01.079-088

The essay deals with the concept of total force policy concept and its implementation. Some facts related to the history, implementation and development of this construct are presented in context of the Czech White Paper on Defence released in 2011. In order to improve capabilities of the national armed forces system, and as well as to diminish risks related to lack of human and financial sources in face of impeding population ageing, the author suggests a return to total force concept in the Czech Republic. He admits that the experiences with this policy before 1990 will be inoperative, as there is no chance of reintroducing of compulsory military service or the re-establishing of such paramilitary institutions such as e.g. the SVAZARM used to be.

President as the Commander-in-Chief

Informational pages

Doc. JUDr. Zdeněk Koudelka, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 122-131 | DOI: 10.3849/2336-2995.21.2012.01.122-131

This paper depicts the position of the Czech President as the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the Czech Armed Forces, including his special relation to Defence Minister who actually runs defence department. The President is superior to all members of armed forces of the Czech Republic; the Chief of General Staff is superior to all members of the Army of the Czech Republic.The President formally and officially controls all the military organizations in a country. But we have no tradition of independent of armed deployment in war conflicts. Our forces operated always as a part of higher multinational coalitions, in joined combined groupings, operationally subordinated to friendly, but alien highest command.

Public Sector Economy in Management Practice

Military professional

Ing. Svatopluk Kunc

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 1/2012, Vol. XXI. (LIII.): 155-161

There is an ambiguous relation as far as management and economy in public sector are concerned. Using the example of British army, the author explains the roots and consequences of changes in the field of source management and compares collected results with the situation in the CR. Both public sector and the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) are administratively ordered and controlled and meeting the army goals that are not conditioned by economy results. The accounting books do not offer true picture of army possession and properties, among others because the current accountancy system that is not able to classify individual operations, military goals are not measurable. He proposes to set an array of fixed rules to identify ACR economical effectivity.

The Security System of the CR and the Necessity of its Adaptation to Cumulative Effects of Threats

Reviewed - Review

PhDr. Libor Stejskal

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 37-47

The term of "growing complex of threats" covers higher and higher probability of concatenation of various intercommoned, mutually tied factors reflecting structured technological and informational reality of global society, making their solving by traditional means of security system extremely difficult. "Crisis situation" represents more general problem of natural disasters or technology breakdowns that are influencing one another, that cause great distress or destruction, in an unexpected manner, activating subsequent threats of so far unforeseen threats. For that reason we must adapt Czech security system to new liquid, instant and indivisible complex threats.

The White Paper and the Security of the Czech Republic

Opinions, controversy

PhDr. Antonín Rašek

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 86-92

The existence of the Czech Army is at state. We need to get over present cut in military budget, ill-advised savings, without searching for new appropriate financial and material sources. To save something important means always to sacrifice or to give up something. Some security and military experts wish to dissociate themselves with approved methods. They think that the White Paper doesn't express opinions on many important things. It assumed that after five years there will be need to revise this White Book. So, proposes the author, wouldn't be better for us to regard the White Book only as an analytical document containing certain proposals for the following Defence Strategy of the CR, as originally intended?

National Security Planning and the Issue of Varying Prices: MoD Case Study

Informational pages

Podplukovník Ing. Bohuslav Pernica, Ph.D.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 97-104

Government controls state executives by planning, i.e. a bureaucratic process providing sets of documents. Such plans ought to be feasible in an expecting resource environment. Approach and methods using for working out respective plans are supposed to be conforming to the purpose. In order to be realistic, a financial plan, a budget, should cope with environment of increasing and decreasing prices and exchange rates. This essay, as a case study, deals with the issue of adapting of the short and medium-term planes working out by the Czech MoD for purpose of programming, budgeting and purchasing. The case study shows that generally there is a long-run lack of interest in adapting of such planes to an environment of changing prices and volatile exchange rates.

Public Procurements: Themes for Further Developing backed by White Paper on Defence in Connection with Governmental Assessment of Public Procurements

Informational pages

Prof. PhDr. František Ochrana, DrSc.

Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 4/2011, Vol. XX. (LII.): 105-117

The White Paper on Defence is a frame document that only points out main directions of military activities that further must be worked up in detail at all levels of defence department. This study presents all possible themes in the field of public procurements. As he set principles in the Whiter Paper correspond to those set in governmental document Public Procurements, it depends only on MoD experts to what measure they meet governmental requirements and implement them into drafted concept materials, incorporating rules for placing, assignment, rating, examination and audit.

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