Czech Army recruits 2,997 soldiers this year, Babiš guarantees 2% of GDP in funding

The Czech Army is recruiting 2,997 soldiers this year, according to Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (SPD). The army had originally planned to recruit 2,250 people. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said at today’s military oath ceremony in Vyškov that the army has secured funding at the level of two percent of GDP and that the government will approve next year’s budget by the end of September.

In 2014, NATO allies committed to spending two percent of GDP on defence by 2025 in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Last year, at the NATO summit in The Hague, they adopted a new target of five percent by 2035, with 3.5 percent allocated to direct defence spending. The Czech Republic failed to meet the two-percent commitment last year, and the government is not currently expecting to meet it this year either. Among NATO allies, the Czech Republic ranks near the bottom in terms of defence spending.