Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces Michal Gural stands at the helm of the so-called “silver corps.” In an interview with CZ DEFENCE, he describes the role that senior noncommissioned officers play in the army today, why open communication between commanders and soldiers is crucial, and why, in his view, the younger generation is by no means lost. He also discusses the modernization of the army, motivating soldiers to remain in service, and why personnel sustainability is the greatest challenge of the present day.

Video: Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces Michal Gural: We Must Learn to Listen and Be More Empathetic / CZ DEFENCE

When Gural took over as Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces last summer, he became the highest-ranking member of the warrant officer corps in the Czech military. He himself emphasizes, however, that this is not merely a prestigious position or the formal pinnacle of a career. According to him, the fundamental difference compared to chief warrant officers at lower levels of command lies primarily in access to information and responsibility for passing it on. “On that imaginary tree, you’re somewhere on the upper branches – or even the very top, as far as the army is concerned – and you have, so to speak, first-hand information,” explains Gural.

Deciding whether to even enter the selection process for the highest warrant officer position, however, was not easy. “I could easily say that my wife made the decision. Or that we decided together,” says the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces with a smile. According to him, finances were definitely not the motivation. “Financially, there’s no significant difference. What made the difference was the prestige of the position and the fact that in the Silver Corps, you reach the very top.” Although Gural is now the highest-ranking Chief Warrant Officer in the Czech Armed Forces, he points out that there is another milestone on this career path: “You can aim even higher, for example, to the position of Chief Warrant Officer of NATO forces, just as Luděk Kolesa did.”

The most common questions the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces has been receiving lately concern the appointment of the new Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces. In this context, Gural emphasizes that his role remains stable regardless of personnel changes at the top of the military: “I think of it this way: it’s like with parents – you don’t get to choose them. In short, there will be some professional, a general, and you’ll continue to serve your country.”

According to Gural, the fundamental role of senior warrant officers remains the same as it was originally defined. “From the very beginning, when Luděk Kolesa was the senior warrant officer of our army, the foundation was laid well. But today’s world is hectic and moves at a breakneck pace. You have to be flexible, know how to listen, and assess the situation,” explains the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces. He identifies communication as one of the most important aspects of his job. According to him, chief warrant officers are not part of the traditional chain of command and do not have decision-making authority. Rather, they function as intermediaries between commanders and soldiers. “The commander has the authority to make decisions. You’re the one who should convey information, act as a facilitator who moderates the discussion and tries to express your thoughts. But the commander always makes the final decision. We, the senior warrant officers, should be damn well aware of that,” Gural emphasizes.

According to him, the role of a senior warrant officer is based primarily on the ability to know the unit’s environment while also understanding the commander’s intent. “The commander should have a vision, and we are the ones who should help him fulfill it, because we know both the resources and the people. Ideally, we offer several ways to achieve a given goal, and the commander then makes the decision,” explains Senior Warrant Officer Gural. According to him, the ability to convey information accurately in both directions – from command down and from the troops up – is essential. “Don’t add any of your own interpretations or speculate about what someone might have meant. And likewise, convey information from the units to command without distortion,” he explains.

The role of chief warrant officer isn’t about sitting in an office and communicating only with command. It’s about constantly being among the people. “To really stay in the loop, I have to talk to everyone – soldiers, warrant officers, and officers alike. It’s not just about arriving at a unit and sitting down with the leadership,” says Gural. In this context, the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces admits that he would like to spend more time directly among the soldiers: “I’d like to say that I’m out in the field more, but the truth is that I spend a lot of time at meetings, on committees, and traveling. There really are a lot of trips and meetings.” According to the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces, mutual respect and trust are something that cannot be earned through a position or rank. “It’s probably due to constant communication. I try to talk to absolutely everyone. The army isn’t made up of just fighters. It’s a well-oiled machine. As General Lipka likes to say, it’s a gearbox. Take out one gear, and it stops working,” explains Gural.

One of the biggest issues among soldiers in recent years has been pay and conditions of service. According to Gural, the situation changed significantly following last year’s changes to the pay system. He credits Army General Karel Řehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, and former Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces Peter Smik with playing a major role in this. “They did a tremendous job. Studies were conducted that showed the actual situation soldiers are in. This applied not only to the lowest ranks but also to officers and the senior warrant officer corps,” says Gural.

Despite the aforementioned changes in compensation, the biggest challenge for our army remains recruiting new professional soldiers and retaining existing ones. According to Gural, people are the key factor in the army’s functioning. “Everyone says that personnel are the most important thing. And that’s really true. It’s all interconnected – equipment, logistics, ammunition, training. In the end, you always come back to the people,” explains the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces.

He is surprised, however, that money is often not the main motivation for soldiers. “I’m truly amazed by the priorities some people have. It’s not that they say, ‘What would I do in civilian life? I’ll stay here because I get a paycheck every month.’ They want to be there. They’re driven by camaraderie, expertise, morale, and the belief that things will get better,” describes Gural, who believes that expertise also plays an important role. “Everyone is proud of their expertise. A tank crewman is proud of his tank; a pilot is proud of his aircraft. And when a soldier sees that new equipment, new gear, or new training opportunities are coming – that has a huge impact on motivation,” explains the senior warrant officer.

According to him, the modernization of the army also has a positive impact on troop morale, and new technologies are a topic of discussion in virtually every unit. “There are soldiers who swear by the T-72, and others who say the Leopard is far better. But new technologies have a huge impact on morale,” says Gural.

Regarding the recruitment of new professional soldiers, Gural appreciates that the military has recently been successful in attracting new professionals, but at the same time he points out that today’s generation can no longer be reached using old methods. “Today, it’s not enough to just hang up a poster somewhere that says, ‘Join us.’ It has to be visible on social media, it has to be modern, and it has to be fun for young people. We don’t think like they do anymore,” he admits. In his view, the army should make much greater use of professional marketing and modern communication tools. “It can’t work if someone just sits down and comes up with something they think will interest young people. Today, there are specialized firms that understand social media, video, and what appeals to young people,” says the senior warrant officer. Gural views voluntary military training exercises positively, for example, which he says have shown that there is interest in the military among young people. “When someone from my generation says that today’s young people are terrible, I don’t agree at all. What I saw were excellent young people,” emphasizes the senior warrant officer, who believes the military today must do a better job of addressing generational differences. “I wouldn’t say these are generational problems, but rather differences. We’ll have to learn to listen more to the younger generation, communicate more, and be empathetic. But I’m not saying the military should abandon its standards and traditions,” Gural points out. It is precisely this ability to communicate and empathize that, in his view, will become increasingly important in the future. Although the military is an organization based on command and orders, he believes it cannot function in the long term without the ability to listen to people. “Ultimately, orders are given and they must be followed. But that doesn’t mean people can’t have different opinions. On the contrary. It’s important to be able to communicate and listen to them,” says the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces.

According to Gural, the relationship between professional soldiers and active reservists has also undergone a major change. While in the past some active reservists may have felt a sense of distance, the situation is significantly better today: “It used to be that when the reservists arrived, it meant extra work. I don’t see it that way anymore. We’re trying to make sure it’s not just about saying we value the active reservists, but that it’s also evident in practice,” says the senior warrant officer, who also views the opportunity for active reservists to deploy on overseas operations very positively: “It’s a tremendous experience. Of course, it’s not easy to balance with civilian work and an employer, but for those people, it’s incredibly valuable.”

Gural also considers it important that the military today appeals to a broader age range of applicants than in the past. According to him, it’s no longer just 18-year-old high school graduates standing at the swearing-in ceremonies. “In Vyškov, I saw a real mix of people. You can’t focus solely on the youngest generation. The military must appeal to different age groups and offer different benefits and incentives to different people,” the senior warrant officer believes. For example, he notes that young people today often want immediate incentives and concrete benefits, while soldiers with longer service are more concerned with stability or retirement benefits. “A young person isn’t going to think about what will happen in fifteen years. But a soldier who’s already served twelve years thinks differently. Each group has different priorities,” explains Gural.

After nearly a year as Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces, Chief Warrant Officer Gural is beginning to take stock and, at the same time, think about where he’d like to take his career next. However, he doesn’t believe in setting a large number of ambitious goals. “I don’t like it when someone sets ten goals and then, a year later, realizes they haven’t achieved a single one. I’d rather have one or two priorities and really see them through,” says the Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces, admitting that staying focused on long-term goals isn’t easy these days: “The phone is constantly buzzing, emails are coming in, and staying focused on just one or two things is extremely challenging.”

Looking ahead, Gural expects that the role of chief warrant officers will have to become even more flexible. According to him, the security environment and modern warfare are evolving so rapidly that it’s already impossible to predict exactly how the military will operate in a few years. “Five years ago, few people expected modern warfare to change so quickly. I wouldn’t dare say what the role of a chief warrant officer will look like in another five years. But one thing is certain – we’ll have to be flexible and adaptable,” concludes Chief Warrant Officer of the Czech Armed Forces Michal Gural.