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Czech Land Forces
Czech Land Forces
Pozemní síly
	Emblem of the Czech Land Forces
Founded	1 January 1993 ; (31 years, 10 months)
Country	Czech Republic
Type	Army
Role	Land warfare
Size	13,000 soldiers
Part of	Czech Armed Forces
Headquarters	Olomouc
Engagements	IFOR ; SFOR ; Kosovo Force ; War in Iraq ; War in Afghanistan ; EUTM Mali
Website	Official Website
Commanders
Land Forces Commander	Major general Roman Náhončík
Insignia
National emblem
Flag

The Czech Land Forces^[4] (Czech: Pozemní síly)^{[Note 2]} are the land warfare forces of the Czech Republic. The Land Forces consisting of various types of arms and services complemented by air and special operations forces constitute the core of the Czech Armed Forces.^[5] Land Forces Command is located in Olomouc.^[1]

Peacetime structure comprises two mechanized brigades, an airborne regiment and specialized regiments of artillery, logistics, engineers, CBRN defence, reconnaissance and electronic warfare. Mechanized brigades are equipped with various types of combat vehicles to ensure the execution of different combat operations.^[5]

Tasks

The Czech Land Forces are the biggest and decisive part of the Army of the Czech Republic. In coordination with other services they are organized to defend the national territory. Under a crisis situation and in the event of hostilities they form the core of operation task force of the allied joint force and eventually they are complemented by mobilized units. The Land Forces are also designed for fulfilment of commitment in compliance with the Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and tasks on behalf of the state administration authorities.^[6]

Equipment

Small arms of the Czech Land Forces are mainly supplied by CZUB, e.g. CZ 805 BREN and BREN 2 assault rifles, CZ 75 and CZ P-10 pistols and CZ Scorpion Evo 3 submachine guns. The Czech Armed Forces are equipped with over 3,000 T810, T815 and T815-7 vehicles of various modifications produced by Tatra.^[7]

Principal weapons systems of the Czech Land Forces include the Leopard 2A4 tanks gifted from Germany, T-72 tanks (T-72M1 produced in Czechoslovakia and T-72M4CZ modernized in Czech Republic), BVP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (Czechoslovak-produced version of BMP-2), Pandur II and Iveco LMV wheeled combat vehicles and 152mm vz. 77 DANA self-propelled howitzers.

Air defence and helicopter units are part of the Czech Air Force.

Major armaments and combat equipment as of 1 January 2023:^[8]

82 main battle tanks
385 armoured fighting vehicles
167 IFV- and APC-based special vehicles
137 light armoured vehicles
172 artillery systems (152mm howitzers and 120mm mortars)

Soldiers armed with CZ 805 and RPG-7
Paratroopers armed with BREN 2 and Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle
T-72M4 CZ
BVP-2
Pandur II
Iveco LMV
vz. 77 DANA
Tatra 810
Tatra 815 with pontoon bridge components
LR 130 RCH
MKEB EW system

Organization

Land Forces Command (Czech: Velitelství pozemních sil) is located in Olomouc.^[1] Prague was the location of Land Forces Command from July 2013 to June 2020. Between 2003 and 2013 Land Forces were an integral part of the Joint Forces Command in Olomouc.

The command structure is hierarchical, with brigades and regiments controlling groups of units. Major units are battalion-sized, and minor units are company or platoon-sized units. Airborne Regiment has a unique structure comprising several commandos and centres.^[9]

Czech Land Forces are composed of both Regular (full-time) and Active Reserve (part-time) units. Active Reserve platoons, companies and specialized units are affiliated to respective regular units. Moreover, there are 14 Regional Military Headquarters of the Territorial Command, and each one has an Active Reserve infantry company.^[10]

Transformation of the 600-strong 43rd Airborne Battalion to 43rd Airborne Regiment with more than 1,200 soldiers scheduled for October 2020 is based upon the 2014 Wales summit declaration regarding the NATO Response Force and Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).^[11]^[9]

Combat Forces

4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, in Žatec
- Headquarters and Staff
- 41st Mechanized Battalion, in Žatec (Pandur II)
- 42nd Mechanized Battalion, in Tábor (Pandur II)
- 44th Light Motorized Battalion, in Jindřichův Hradec (Iveco LMV)^[12]
- Signal Company
- Support Company
7th Mechanized Brigade, in Hranice
- Headquarters and Staff
- 71st Mechanized Battalion, in Hranice (BVP-2)
- 72nd Mechanized Battalion, in Přáslavice (BVP-2)
- 73rd Tank Battalion, in Přáslavice (T-72M4CZ, T-72M1, Leopard 2A4)
- 74th Mechanized Battalion, in Bučovice (BVP-2 - will be the first unit to receive CV90 infantry fighting vehicles^[13])
43rd Airborne Regiment, in Chrudim
- Headquarters and Staff
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Commando companies
- 5th Commando Company (Active Reserve)
- Weapons Center (81 mm mortars, anti-tank guided missiles)
- Combat Support Center (Intelligence, Reconnaissance)
- Command Support Center (Signals)
- Logistics Support Center
- Medical Detachment
- Combat Training Center
- Airborne Training Center

Combat Support Forces

13th Artillery Regiment, in Jince
- Headquarters and Staff
  - Garrison Support Element
  - Regimental Aid Post
- Command Support Battery
- 131st Artillery Battalion (152mm SpGH DANA)
- 132nd Artillery Battalion (152mm SpGH DANA)
- Active Reserve Battery (152mm SpGH DANA)
- STAR Battery (ARTHUR Artillery Tracking Radar, Sněžka Surveillance and Reconnaissance System)
- Logistic Company^[14]
15th Engineer Regiment, in Bechyně
- Headquarters and Staff
  - EOD Technical and Information Support Center
  - Support Platoon
  - Garrison Support Element
- 151st Engineer Battalion, in Bechyně
- 152nd Engineer Battalion, in Bechyně
- 153rd Engineer Battalion, in Olomouc^[15]
31st Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Regiment, in Liberec
- Headquarters and Staff
  - Support Platoon
- 311th Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Battalion, in Liberec
- 312th Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Battalion, in Liberec
- 314th Weapons of Mass Destruction Warning Center, in Hostivice
53rd Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare Regiment, in Opava
- Headquarters and Staff
  - Signal Company
  - Support Platoon
  - Garrison Support Element
  - Regimental Aid Post
- 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion, in Prostějov
- 532nd Electronic Warfare Battalion, in Opava
- 533rd Unmanned Aircraft Systems Battalion, in Prostějov
- ISR Center, in Opava^[16]

Combat Service Support Forces

14th Logistic Support Regiment, in Pardubice
- Headquarters and Staff
- Command Support Company
- 141st Supply Battalion, in Pardubice
- 142nd Maintenance Battalion, in Klatovy
- 143rd Supply Battalion, in Lipník nad Bečvou^[17]

MOD's Logistics Agency has been building the Host Nation Support (HNS) Battalion in Rakovník since October 2018. HNS Battalion is not part of the Land Forces as it reports directly to the Logistics Agency.^[18]

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1
Czech Land Forces^[19] v t e
Czech Land Forces^[19] v t e			Armádní generál		Generálporučík		Generálmajor		Brigádní generál		Plukovník		Podplukovník		Major		Kapitán		Nadporučík			Poručík

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Czech Land Forces^[19] v t e
Czech Land Forces^[19] v t e	Štábní praporčík						Nadpraporčík		Praporčík		Nadrotmistr						Rotmistr						Rotný				Četař		Desátník						Svobodník	Vojín

Notes

^ Národní rozlišovací znak, literally the "National distinguishing emblem", defined by notification No. 387/2010 Coll.^[3]
^ Pozemní síly Armády České republiky in full, literally the "Land Forces of the Army of the Czech Republic"

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Dvořáková, Magdalena. "Velitelství pozemních sil se stěhuje z Prahy do Olomouce" [Land Forces Command is being moved from Prague to Olomouc]. army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
^ Kopecký, Josef (8 May 2023). "Pavel jmenoval Koudelku generálem. Zeman to blokoval a mluvil o "čučkařích"" (in Czech). Mafra. iDnes.cz. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ "Předpis 387/2010 Sb." psp.cz. Parlament České republiky, Poslanecká sněmovna. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
^ "Land Forces Command". army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b Šimůnek, Petr, ed. (July 2015). "Land Forces". The Long Term Perspective For Defence 2030 (PDF). Prague: Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic - Military History Institute (MHI). p. 13. ISBN 978-80-7278-667-1. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ "Land Forces" (PDF). University of Defence. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ Casey, Nuala; Holeček, Oldřich. "Minister of Defence receives shipment of Tatra trucks". Ministry of Defence. Ministerstvo obrany. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
^ "Přehled výzbroje a techniky (stav k 1. lednu 2023)" [Armament and Equipment Overview as of 1 January 2023] (PDF). army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b Světnička, Lubomír (3 December 2019). "Úderná pěst armády se začíná rýsovat. O červený baret je obrovský zájem" [The army's striking fist begins to form. The red beret is hugely popular]. natoaktual.cz. Jagello 2000. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ "RESERVES". army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ Berger, Otakar (10 July 2018). "New Czech Airborne Regiment". Czech Defence Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ Šiška, Martin (9 March 2020). "4. brigáda rychlého nasazení: Hlavní část mobilních sil Armády ČR" [4th Rapid Deployment Brigade: the main component of Czech Army mobile forces]. CZDEFENCE.cz – Czech Army & Defence Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ "Útvary brigády" [Brigade's units]. 7mb.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ "Organizační struktura" [Organizational structure]. 13dp.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ "Velení a struktura" [Command and Structure]. zenijnipluk.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ "Organizační struktura 53. pPzEB" [53rd Reccon/EW Rgt. Organizational Structure]. 53pluk.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ "14. pluk logistické podpory" [14th Logistic Support Regiment]. 14plogp.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ "Bude podporovat větší uskupení vojsk" [Battalion will support large military formations]. army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Ranks". army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2021.