Lieutenant General Karel Řehka

Date of birth: 1 February 1975
Place of birth: Brno, Czech Republic

   Education:

      •    1989 - 1993
            Military Grammar School, Opava
      •    1993 - 1997
           Military University of Ground Forces, Vyškov (reconnaissance branch)
      •    1996
           Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom (Officers course)
      •    1999
           Ranger Course, USA
      •    2000 - 2001
           Distance studies, Military University of Ground Forces, Vyškov (reconnaissance branch)
      •    2002
           Joint Terminal Attack Controller course, United Kingdom
      •    2003
           Senior officers course – brigade staff course (national defence management – crisis management), Military Academy, Brno
      •    2015 - 2016
           General Staff course, University of Defence Brno

Service career:

• 1997 - 1998
  Commander, special reconnaissance group, 6th Special Brigade
• 1998 - 2000
  Commander, special group, special forces company, 6th Special Brigade
• 2000 - 2001
  Senior foreign liaison officer
• 2001 - 2003
  Chief, JTAC group, 32nd Tactical Air Force Base
• 2003
  Senior officer, special purpose centre, 6th Special Forces Group
• 2003 - 2005
  Commander, special purpose centre, 601st Special Forces Group
• 2005 - 2006
  Chief S5, 601st Special Forces Group
• 2006 - 2009
  Specialist officer 2 G3 SF, HQ ARRC, Rheindahlen, Germany
• 2009 - 2010
  Senior officer – specialist, Special Forces Directorate
• 2010 - 2014
  Commander, 601st Special Forces Group
• 2014 - 2017
  Director, MoD Special Forces Directorate
• 28 Oct 2016
  Promoted Brigadier General
• 2017 - 2020
  Deputy Commander, Multinational Division North East, Elblag, Poland
• 2020 - 2022
  Director of National Cyber and Information Security Agency
• June 22, 2022
  Promoted Major General
• July 1, 2022
  Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces
• 8 May, 2023
  Promoted Lieutenant General

Deployments:

• 1999 - 2000
  Group commander, 6th Reconnaissance Company, KFOR, Kosovo
• 2004
  Deputy Commander of Czech Special Forces Contingent, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
• 2006 - 2007
  Senior lead officer – specialist, ISAF, SOCCE, Afghanistan
• 2007 - 2008
  Senior lead officer – specialist, ISAF, SOCCE, Afghanistan
• 2011
  Commander, Czech Special Operations Task Force ISAF, Afghanistan

Decorations:

• Czech Armed Forces Honorary Badge of Merit, grade III
• Czech Armed Forces Service Medal, grade I
• Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, grade II
• US Army Commendation Medal
• NATO Non Article 5 Medal, ISAF
• Military Intelligence commemoration badge
• NATO 1999 – 2009 commemoration badge
• Medal of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic "For service abroad" - Afghanistan, grade I
• Czech Armed Forces medal, grade II
• Medal of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic "For service abroad" – Afghanistan, grade II
• Medal of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic "For service abroad" – Afghanistan, grade III
• Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, grade III
• Czech Armed Forces Medal, grade III
• Honorary commemorative badge "For service in peace operation in the Balkans"
• NATO Medal "In Service of Peace and Freedom"
• Cross of the Military Police

Language skills:

• English, Russian

Marital status:

• Married, two children