The Czech Army Operations Command is at the center of preparations for the defense of the Czech Republic and the entire eastern flank of NATO. Its task is not only to deploy troops abroad, but also to manage everything that will happen in the Czech Republic in the event of a crisis. How is operational planning changing, how is the Czech Army preparing for a multi-domain environment, and what do new technologies mean for air defense? We discussed this in the next episode of the program CZ DIALOGUES with Major General Jaroslav Míka, Deputy Commander of the Czech Army Operations Command.

Video: Interview with Major General Jaroslav Míka, Deputy Commander of the Czech Armed Forces Operations Command / CZ DEFENCE 

Right at the beginning of the interview, General Míka emphasizes that there are no two separate worlds in the form of NATO operations and the defense of the Czech Republic: "When people sometimes say that we are preparing things for NATO and not thinking about ourselves, that is a mistake. The most likely scenario that could occur in the event of a conflict on the eastern flank of the Alliance must be addressed there. And in doing so, we are also addressing the defense of the Czech Republic." According to the general, all Alliance plans and their implementation in the national environment have a direct impact on the security of the republic, and the Operations Command is not just a kind of "dispatch center" for foreign missions, but a key hub for managing the conflict as a whole. "It cannot be separated. The Czech Republic will not be an isolated island. If our or other Alliance units are deployed on the eastern flank, everything will of course go through our territory," says Míka.

The role of the Operations Command is to prepare and deploy units as envisaged in the Alliance's defense plans. These plans are detailed and clearly bind the Czech Republic. At the same time, however, the command must manage operational activities within the country. These range from the passage of allied troops through Host Nation Support to the protection of key infrastructure. One of the key planning tools is the so-called Capability Targets (CT), i.e., the target capabilities that NATO requires from individual states. "This is not some theoretical list, but specifically planned capabilities in terms of quality and quantity that are aimed at fulfilling the defense plan of the entire Alliance. It fits nicely, like a lid on a pot," the general describes. The Operations Command is not directly responsible for fulfilling the CT, as this is a task for force generation, but it is the element that, in the event of a crisis, must be able to effectively deploy the forces within the operational framework.

Readiness is not a theory. This year, for example, a unit was activated as part of the rapid reaction force (NRF), where the notice to move meant being in place within ten days. "This was reduced to five days, and the unit was ultimately in place within five days. You can't do that by only starting to prepare at the moment of activation. It has to be prepared well in advance," says General Míka. According to him, logistics are key, alongside combat readiness. "War begins and ends with sufficient or insufficient logistics. Everything must be prepared—from equipment and ammunition to general logistics—so that forces can be deployed immediately," emphasizes the deputy commander of the Operations Command.

One of the roles of our army is the aforementioned Host Nation Support, i.e., providing facilities for allied troops. In this context, General Míka points out that this task requires maximum preparedness of our own forces, as Host Nation Support itself is an extremely demanding discipline, which was confirmed by the recent strategic-operational exercise Resilient Czechia 25, which tested the whole-of-society approach at the level of institutions and ministries.

There is increasing talk of conducting operations in a multi-domain environment, and General Míka points out that this does not only involve the classic domains: land, air, sea, cyber, and space. "We also have the information environment and public opinion. This is a very important environment. Whether we like it or not, we live in it naturally. Even now, we are recording on digital devices that can be misused," says the general. According to him, the essence of multi-domain operations is not only the existence of individual spaces, but also the ability to plan and conduct operations in such a way that the effects in different environments support each other. This is a relatively new concept, which has its advantages. "I'm glad it's a new term because we approach it in the same way as our alliance partners. We're all on the same train," notes Míka.

Given its size, the Czech Army focuses on being able to operate in a kind of "plugin" mode at individual tactical levels, in other words, being able to quickly and effectively integrate into larger alliance structures and not be isolated, especially in the information domain. Multidomain operations will not only take place somewhere "in the east," but also within the Czech Republic, even before a physical attack occurs. Our army can learn certain lessons in this domain from its allies on NATO's eastern flank. "We can certainly learn from countries such as Estonia. It has one of the most extensive experiences with cyber threats and hybrid warfare," notes the general, who also points to the increase in incidents in the airspace of the Baltic countries, Poland, and Romania as noteworthy. "We can argue whether this is a coincidence, but it is most likely not," says the deputy commander of the Operations Command.

Another key issue to be addressed is how to ensure command and control functions even when the operational environment is disrupted. In this context, General Míka mentions two main principles: the robustness of the communication network itself and the ability to function when communication is down. "This is about the principle of mission command. Everyone must know what their task is and what the mission objective is. Even when communications are disrupted, the 'machine' must not get stuck," explains the general, which is why, in the event of an incident, the Alliance works to restore central command and control, ideally within 30 minutes.

Interoperability also plays a major role, not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of processes and people. "Every army has its own specific characteristics, but in an ideal world, national standards should be equal to those of the alliance," says Míka, pointing out that the technical side is not always a given, and that even though there is talk of a common 155 mm caliber, not every shell is usable in all systems. However, according to the general, personnel interoperability is very important: "That is why alliance exercises are conducted, so that everyone is moving in the same direction and speaking the same language."

In the interview, General Míka further compares the Operations Command to a kind of "CEO of the army," who is responsible to the "supervisory board" headed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces and must manage the defense of the territory as well as the deployment and maintenance of forces outside it. This also includes the area of Integrated Air and Missile Defense. "It is common knowledge where we stand now. There are a lot of new projects, some of which are nearing completion," says the general. At the lowest level of air defense, this mainly involves rearming with RBS-70 NG, which will be placed on modern wheeled platforms. Above them will be the new SPYDER short-range system. "The new system has almost double the range. It provides point protection for important objects and groups, but thanks to the scalability of the missiles, we can also cover a larger area," explains Míka.

The "eyes" of air defense, i.e., the radar network, play an equally important role. The Czech Republic is currently building a combination of stationary and mobile radars in this area to ensure a unified radar field. General Míka points out that, in addition to military sensors, there is also a dense network of civilian air traffic control radars, whose information can be used in crisis situations. The army also relies on alliance capabilities. The introduction of fifth-generation F-35 aircraft is expected to bring a significant qualitative leap. "F-35s are not just aircraft. They are sensors. When we have twenty-four of them, we will have twenty-four mini-AWACS. They will see far beyond the borders and cover the area currently covered by early warning aircraft, including rugged terrain," says Míka.

We were interested in what lessons the Operations Command has learned from the Ukrainian battlefield. "Of course, we are watching and studying them very closely. But the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a model of what a clash between Russia and the Alliance would look like," the general points out. According to him, the primary role of FPV drones on the Ukrainian battlefield directly on the line of contact is a consequence of insufficient and incorrectly used air power. "But that doesn't mean we can close our eyes and pretend that drones don't exist. On the contrary, we are including them in new projects and in defenses against them," adds Míka, criticizing the simplistic conclusions of certain people who believe that drones will completely replace tanks, aircraft, and ships on the modern battlefield. "If that were the case, Russia itself would not be producing tanks, aircraft, and ships. The fact that heavy equipment is not working on part of the front line today is due to the specific reality of this conflict, not the general end of weapons," the general points out. At the same time, the war in Ukraine highlights the issue of the economics of warfare. "Shooting down cheap drones with expensive missiles is unsustainable in the long term. When hundreds of thousands of them are flying, we will have to find other solutions," says Míka, according to whom the Czech Republic is closely monitoring developments, analyzing new trends, and participating in initiatives aimed at protection against unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Operations Command does not only rely on professional soldiers in its activities, but also on soldiers in active reserve. "Without reservists, we are unable to implement the plan in its entirety," the general says openly. In the event of a large-scale deployment, he believes it would be inevitable to supplement the army with civilians, although definitely not in the form of general mobilization, but rather on a selective basis. According to Míka, the Czech Republic has the advantage of a robust integrated rescue system and the fact that it already views defense and Host Nation Support as a task for society as a whole. "Host Nation Support is a team game. Something like football. The individual players are the army, ministries, but also our industrial base," says the deputy commander of the Operations Command.

At the end of the interview, General Míka returns to the role of the Operations Command in the context of the Concept of Development of the Czech Armed Forces until 2035. According to him, the Command is the main "user" of the defense plan and the one who will experience firsthand whether the conceptual documents are fulfilled with real capabilities. "Without the implementation of the concept and Capability Targets, the defense plan would not work. It is set up so that we can fight on the first day with what we have, but its supplementation must go hand in hand with the growth of our capabilities. And they will grow," concludes General Míka.

If you want to learn more, listen to the entire interview at the beginning of this article.