Fifty-seven members of the Czech military who served in foreign structures of NATO and the EU in Poland, the USA and Turkey since 2016 received the For Foreign Service Medal yesterday.
The Czech military occupies hundreds of posts in rotating missions. "This is no marginal affair since there are hundreds of these posts," the first deputy chief of staff, Lieutenant General Jaromir Zuna, said.
"This means ensuring the preparation, selection and sending of these people to these structures, watching their performance in the structures, related routine affairs and their return to the military, sending others," he added. "The figures alone suggest that this is a relatively large-scale personnel action," Zuna said.
With regard to reliability and fulfilment of obligations, the Czech Republic is in the absolute top class. The military personnel must comply with top requirements, he added.
This means not only professional qualification, but also language proficiency and basic principles of communication and diplomacy, Zuna said.
At present, serving in the structures of NATO, the EU, the United Nations and other international organisations is a routine part of a soldier's career, he added.
For instance, at the joint training command in Bydgoszcz, Poland, General Ladislav Jung worked as the deputy commander and chief of staff.
"It was my task to coordinate the whole staff when it comes to the preparation and implementation of all ongoing NATO war games," Jung said.
"We worked on the tactical and operational level, ensuring the training up from the level of the army corps," he added. Zuna said the military personnel in question acquired the experience one could not gain in the Czech military.
