NATO proposes Czech Republic form multi-national battalion
The United States and NATO turned to the Czech Republic with a proposal to form the first multi-national battalion for defence against weapons of mass destruction, part of the NATO rapid reaction force. Speaking after meeting with other defence ministers from EU candidate countries in Brussels, Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik said on Monday that the request was the first visible result of the reform of the Czech Army. He said the battalion should be formed immediately so that it could begin in January and be operational mid-way through next year.
"This battalion will be part of the rapid response forces and it should be able to intervene anywhere in the world within five days of the request for an emergency deployment. On July 1 next year this battalion should be prepared to bear responsibility for deployment in case weapons of mass destruction are used by terrorist organisations. It can be deployed to handle crises both military and civilian, for example during natural disasters."
The project should be defined in more detail at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in the first half of June. The Czech government will discuss the proposal in June and Tvrdik said he would support the proposal as a matter of prestige for the country. Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda says the proposal is a good opportunity for the Czech Republic.
"Those who are threatening us - the terrorists have long been united. The only response to it is to act together and be stronger."
Defence Minister Tvrdik reiterated that the Czech Republic is known for its expertise in the field of anti-chemical, biological, and nuclear defence, indicating it was logical the country would be interested in accepting this challenge. At Monday's meeting in Brussels, Minister Tvrdik pointed out that NATO and the European Union were facing similar problems, saying it would be worthwhile to tackle them in co-ordination. He said that, after all, the Czech Republic only had enough resources to be used in either NATO or EU operations - but not both.
