OUR invasion of Ukraine potentially escalate into war Europe between her Russia and his NATOThis was stated today in Prague by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic Karel Rehka.

This is “unthinkable,” Pehka said, warning that his country’s professional military was not prepared for such an outcome. “We don’t even have the basics in order.”

He said gaps must be filled in all areas, from troop firepower, artillery mobility, to logistics and command structures. In the event of an immediate threat of war, conscription will be inevitable, the 48-year-old general stressed.

Czech Republic “fell asleep” in the field of defense

For her part, Czech Defense Minister Yana Chernokhova accused previous governments of the last 30 years of “sleeping” the defense sector. “We need an army of the 21st century,” Chernokhova emphasized.

The Czech minister spoke positively about the exchange of military equipment with Germany and Ukraine, in which the Czech Republic will receive 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and an armored personnel carrier. In the future, it is planned to purchase the latest generation tanks. “It could be, for example, the latest version of the Leopard 2A7,” the minister said.

The Czech Republic has been a member of NATO since 1999. Since the abolition of conscription in 2004, the country has had a professional army of about 27,000 troops.

The Czech Republic is one of Ukraine’s main supporters in its war against Russian invading forces, having provided Kyiv with 200 million euros worth of military aid since the war began on February 24 last year.

Companies operating in the defense sector also delivered materials worth more than 2 billion euros.

^{Source: APE – MEB, dpa}