Pavel to meet likely next army chief over priorities

President Petr Pavel will meet Lieutenant General Miroslav Hlaváč on Thursday as the latter moves closer to becoming Czechia’s next chief of the general staff. Pavel said this week that he wants to hear Hlaváč’s priorities while expecting continuity in the army’s current direction. The government approved Hlaváč’s nomination in May, and the Chamber of Deputies’ defence committee discussed it last week. Hlaváč currently serves as deputy chief of the general staff. His priorities include completing the heavy brigade, launching a medium brigade and strengthening air and anti-drone defences.