Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Czech Republic to discuss defence and deterrence
During his visit to the Czech Republic (19 to 22 June), the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Pavel met with General Becvar, Czech Chief of Defence, Mr. Landovsky, Czech Deputy Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Kase, Chief of the Military Office of the Czech President and Cardinal Monseigneur Duka, the Archbishop of Prague. General Pavel was a guest-lecturer at the Charles University in Prague and the University of Defence in Brno.
After an official welcome ceremony at the Czech General Staff, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel met with General Josef Becvar, Czech Chief of Defence to discuss NATO plans for Deterrence and Defence ahead of the Warsaw Summit in July. At the press conference that followed the meeting, General Pavel highlighted the role “the Czech Republic plays in strengthening NATO security, in leading cooperation in key areas such as logistics and in developing the right tools to counter chemical, biological and nuclear threats. These efforts help keep NATO safe, as we adapt to meet the security challenges that we face from the east and the south”.
While in Prague, General Pavel also met with Mr. Jakub Landovsky, Czech Deputy Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Jiri Baloun, Deputy Chief of Czech General Staff and Brigadier General Jan Kase, Chief of the Military Office of the Czech President. During his meeting with Deputy Minister Landovsky, General Pavel commended the Czech Republic for recent efforts to reach the 2% Defence Spending Pledge made at the Wales Summit and emphasized that “in Warsaw, Nations would be asked to recommit to this Pledge as there is a need to redouble efforts in order to face all challenges, and NATO cannot do more with less indefinitely”.
This visit was also an opportunity for the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee to address students at the Charles University in Prague and at the University of Defence in Brno on “NATO towards Warsaw and beyond”. General Pavel shared his views on the challenges of today’ security environment, NATO’s progress on Defence and Deterrence, and the expected outcomes of the Warsaw Summit.
This three-day visit concluded with a tour of the Battle Field of Slavkov also known as the battle of Austerlitz or the battle of the Three Emperors. This battle took place in 1805 and is considered to be one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars.