IDET
24.-26.5. 2023

After several years of frugality, when the government slashed defence spending, the Army hopes to be able to spend more again. And it has developed an appetite. Members of the defence committee could see this on Wednesday. Deputy Chief of Staff František Maleninský presented a plan at committee meeting what the army would like to purchase over the next ten years. All in all, it should be technology and weapons worth more than 100 billion.

Perhaps the biggest item on the Army list is the purchase of 111 heavy armoured vehicles for 31.3 billion Crowns, which should replace infantry fighting vehicles, whose lifetime will end around 2020. According to Maleninský, the Army needs modernization badly. "A third of the soldiers still drive the Praga V3S, shoot with the trench mortar of 120 mm calibre, produced in 1950, and shoot with ammunition, which has been produced on a shoestring until recently," complained Maleninský.

First Deputy Defence Minister Jiří Borovec is yet unable to predict whether there will be enough money in the budget. "I am certainly not in shock from what the army needs because it is known how underfunded it is. The army only says what it needs in order to function, and it should be an impetus for the government to reflect on what level of army security it wants to have," said Borovec to Právo.

Already around 2018 the soldiers would like to acquire 50 new cannons, which should replace the DANA cannon serving over thirty years. New howitzers with double-range up to 40 km and with a calibre as used by other NATO countries should cost around seven billion.

Within three years, the soldiers would like to start purchasing 62 staff transporters for 4.3 billion. They would also like to buy 12 new helicopters for six billion Crowns.  The missile troops should prospectively not stay behind; the replacement of obsolete Russian KUB missiles should come to 17 billion Crowns.

Government politicians have pledged that the military budget will increase from 1.04 percent of GDP to 1.4 percent of GDP in 2020, which would mean a rise from the current 43 billion to 65 billion.

Losses due to sanctions
On Wednesday, MPs dealt with the situation of the state military enterprises that have difficulties due to the Ukrainian crisis. Most of the problems caused by the sanctions against Russia, are faced by Aircraft Repair Malešice who are repairing a number of Russian helicopters of the Mi range.

According to Director of the Department of State-owned Enterprises Marta Kopecká, LOM did not lose its license, which allows the repairs of Russian aircraft, but got "into a precarious situation with spare parts." Since the imposition of sanctions, the Russian manufacturer either does not handle parts orders for a long time, or ignores them altogether.

"There is also a risk in a suggestion of the Netherlands, which wants to expand the sanctions against all Russian firms around Russian Helicopters," said Kopecká. LOM therefore expects that it will fall into a 30-million loss this year, although it has enough orders.

The Ukrainian crisis has also caused damage to the military repair company VOP CZ. They have been importing thick rolled sheets from East Ukraine. Imports from Ukraine have stopped, which was used by European suppliers to increase the sheet metal prices. VOP therefore expects a  12-million loss this year.