From 19 to 21 October, the PVA EXPO PRAGUE exhibition centre hosted the FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 exhibition and professional events. FUTURE FORCES FORUM has traditionally been attended by leading representatives of the Government and Parliament of the Czech Republic, representatives of state and local government bodies, international organisations, armed and security forces, scientific research centres, universities and industry. The event was also attended by foreign delegations from more than 40 countries. Watch our video report below.

Video: Report from the Future Forces Forum: presentation and conference | CZ DEFENCE

The opening ceremony was addressed by Olga Richterová, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, Minister of Defence Jana Černochová was represented in the morning programme by Deputy Minister Daniel Blažkovec, Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan was represented by Deputy Minister Lukáš Kolářík, and Minister of Industry and Trade Sikel was represented by Deputy Minister Eduard Muřický. State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic Marian Majer, Chief of the General Staff Maj. Gen. Karel Řehka, Director General of the Fire Rescue Corps Lieutenant General Vladimír Vlček, Director General of the Prison Service Majr. Gen. Simon Michailidis, President of the Association of Defence and Security Industry Jiří Hynek and Director General of the FFF Daniel Kočí.

During the opening ceremony, the public and experts were impressed by the speech of Chief of General Staff Maj. Gen. Karel Řehka. In his speech, he highlighted that the Future Forces Forum, after a coronavirus pause, is taking place at a time of radical transformation of the world security situation - the conflict in Ukraine. "We are entering a new era. The EU and NATO are facing the biggest security crisis of this century, but they are reaffirming their strong role as global players. The Czech Army must continue to improve the strategic flexibility and readiness of every soldier in response to the new conditions. But we must not stop there, we need to think about strategies for years and decades ahead. These topics will certainly dominate this year's debates. I am glad that experts from the ranks of the Czech Army will also be present," said General Řehka. AOBP President Hynek pointed out that the whole world is now facing a number of global threats - such as pandemics, inflation, energy crisis and international terrorism - in addition to the war in Ukraine, and appealed to the readiness of the defence and security industry. We need to remember that. In order not to be dependent on supplies from other countries in times of crisis, we need to think about our self-sufficiency and defence in times of peace," said Hynek.

Picture: Presentation of the Czech Armed Forces at FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

Picture: Presentation of the Czech Armed Forces at FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

Picture: Presentation of TAROS 6×6 wheeled military robot at FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

As in previous years, this year's Future Forces Forum event consisted of a presentation and conference part. The presentations included presentations by well-known companies such as Lockheed Martin, Saab, BAE Systems, LIAZ, ARQUUS, the state-owned enterprises LOM Praha, VOP and the Military Technical Institute. There were also many new entities with innovative approaches. The state enterprise LOM Praha was one of the main drivers of Wednesday's programme. On that day, the government discussed the purchase of L-39 NG trainer aircraft for CLV training programmes in the amount of CZK 2.1 billion. This fresh information was personally delivered to the representatives of the state enterprise by the Minister of Defence Jana Černochová. She not only got acquainted with the exhibitors' displays in detail, but also appreciated the presence of experts from Ukraine, whose actual experience directly from the battlefield is invaluable, according to the Minister.

Picture: CV90 MkIV IFV at FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

The state enterprise LOM Prague also focused attention on itself during Thursday's programme. It was the signing of the Technical Assistance Agreement between the Ministry of Defence and four companies - General Electric Company, General Electric International, Inc, LOM Praha s.p., GE Aviation Czech s.r.o. The agreement will allow helicopter engines to be serviced and maintained directly in the Czech Republic and by a Czech company.

Picture: There were many simulators at the FUTURE FORCES FORUM event this year | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

However, the Future Forces Forum also included interesting conferences and meetings. The conferences primarily reflected the priorities of the Czech Republic in the field of security within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. The main topic was also the implementation of the EU Strategic Compass as the first purely defence strategy of the EU, and the Strategic Concept of the Alliance approved by the NATO Summit in Madrid in June. Other expert panels were devoted, for example, to cyber defence and security, critical infrastructure protection, communication and command and control systems, disruptive technologies and innovations, pilot training, military mobility, military and crisis healthcare, and modelling and simulation for autonomous systems. There was also a Part 2 Future Air Force panel entitled New Generation Aircraft.

Picture: Well-known American firearms manufacturer Daniel Defense at the FUTURE FORCES FORUM 2022 event | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENCE

The FUTURE FORCES FORUM event also included important meetings of the professional community, members of the armed and security forces, representatives of government, universities, research and development, and international level. In the period of the Czech Presidency of the European Union, it was also a unique opportunity to address the problems of the arms and security industry.