Czech Military Review, 2009 (vol. 90), issue 2
A European Way of "Humane Security"Reviewed
Ing. Vladimír Karaffa, CSc.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 3-10 
Many people in the world lead intolerably insecure lives. In many cases insecurity is the consequence of armed conflicts in which civilians are deliberately targeted, sometimes, their insecurity has natural causes, like earthquakes, hurricane, tsunami or disease, they suffer from famine. Security is a broader term, covering not only military threats. Human rather than nation-state security should be at the heart of European policy. Instead of defeating enemies or pacifying warring parties, EU missions should focus on protecting civilians, through law enforcement with the occasional use of force. EU member states ought to support a new framework for...
Evaluation and Certification CZE/SVK Battle Group EUMilitary art
Ing. Jaroslav Kulíšek
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 11-40
To fulfil Czech obligation as an EU Battle Group Framework Nation according to the regulating document EU BG Training and Certification, the Czech Army is to certify that the CZE/SVK Battle Group EU meet the standards and criteria stated in Standards and Criteria for EU BG. It is recommended that the CZE/SVK Battle Group EU certification process should be analogous with NATO Response Force (NRF) certification procedure and practical methods. Further it is suggested that the CZE/SVK Battle Group EU certification procedure is divided into several evaluation procedures: preparation planning evaluation, war-fighting evaluation, and technical evaluation....
The Theory of Culminating Point Part IIMilitary art
Plk. gšt. Ing. Ján Spišák
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 41-48
It is a point at which attacking forces are unable to continue their attack or even defend themselves, because do casualties, shortages of fuel, ammunition and rations, and sheer physical exhaustion. This sequel article deals with the theory of the operational art focusing on the culminating point operational concept. The article emanates from Carl von Clausewitz's ideas and concepts described in his book "On War", doctrinal publications analysis and study projects of the operational art theorists. It treats conditions influencing achievement of the culminating point on single levels of war-strategic, operational and tactical and highlights coherences...
The Rating of Aggregate Objectives Applied by Defence Management by Objectives: The Enlistment Goal CaseOpinions, controversy
Pplk. Ing. Bohuslav Pernica, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 49-51
Management by objectives works very well only if there is a rating and evaluation system of objectives. To form such organization one is not easy, especially when using aggregate objectives, combining many partial objectives of various levels. This article deals with the problem how to rate and evaluate this kind of aggregate objectives. The problem is explained in the enlistment goal 2008 of the Czech Armed Forces, which sets the number of volunteers joining the Czech Armed Forces in 2008. The key role here is played by the suitable gauges steering a level (percentage) reached. Thus, recruiting reflects manning the Czech forces by professional personnel...
Theoretical and Sociocultural Context of Suicide Attacks: The Proliferation of Martyr SubcultureInformational pages
Doc. Ing. Štefan Danics, Ph.D., PaedMgr. et ThMgr. Leoš Tuček
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 52-69
Suicide bombing represents a low-cost, low-tech weapon that is readily available, requires little training, leaves little forensic trace, and strikes fear into the general population. Almost exclusively, suicide bombers emanate from distinct ethnicities and religions; furthermore, recent history indicates that they come from the Arab/Muslim or East Asian cultures. As important as the suicide bombers are the activists and sympathizers who offer them support and comfort. These activists may recoil from committing acts of violence themselves but may sympathize with those who do, and offer moral and material support. This article explores the psychosocial...
Islamists OnlineInformational pages
Jiří Hodný, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 70-78
Like hundreds of millions of other people, Islamic terrorists and their supporters use the Internet. In many ways, the Internet is a tool tailor-made for these Islamic extremists, who use it covertly and overtly to plan attacks, raise money, and spread anti-Semitic and anti-American propaganda written in English, Arabic, and other languages. There is sufficient information to believe that in the future, terrorists may even turn the Internet itself into a weapon, using it to wreak havoc on America's critical infrastructure. Because these militants are global, rather than being located in a single geographical area (Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Iraq),...
Military Judiciary in the CRInformational pages
Doc. JUDr. Zdeněk Koudelka, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 79-84
Abolishing military courts at the end of 1993 could evoke the idea that there is no such thing as military judicature in our country. In fact, the Defence Act sets that in time of military preparedness, higher and lower field tribunals and courts come into existence. But present legal norms do not know the legal term "state of military preparedness", only "mobilization". There are many other legal gaps, concerning e.g. declaration war, defining state of war, proclaiming martial law. There are not firmly set statutes of field military courts, their subordination, dependence of field judges and their assistants, or how shall we handle offences of our...
Peacetime Application of Some IHL Provisions in Time of PeaceInformational pages
RNDr. Marek Jukl, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 85-88
It is generally known that norms of international humanitarian law are applicable for the protection of selected groups during interstate or domestic conflicts, but this paper is devoted to the chronological scope of application of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols even in time of peace. The author demonstrates that the Article 3 of the Additional Protocol I implies the peacetime applicability of certain provisions of the Conventions and Additional Protocols. Examples of such provisions of the Additional Protocol I are also brought in this article. Among others, he extents the notion of humanitarian law in peace, which is very often limited...
Peculiarities of Shooting and Control Mortar Units, Equipped by 120mm Mortars M82Military professional
Prof. Ing. Ladislav Potužák, CSc., pplk. Ing. Josef Vondrák
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 89-98
The article is concentrated on explaining the most important provisions during the preparation and control of shooting procedures, targeting, effective fire, namely during shelling with reference to depth and width of target. First, the authors introduce security regulations, followed by main features of fire control: meteorological preparation, ballistic preparation and other elements of fire. Mortar battery uses distributed fire by platoons, sections or lines. The authors offer several fire tables, schemes, and artillery charts. The basic requirement for deployment of artillery is its effectivity, which presupposed flawless knowledge of shooting...
The Evaluation of Health Risks of Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields Generated by Radars - PartiMilitary professional
Prof. Ing. František Božek, CSc., por. Ing. Lukáš Kubiček, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 99-110
The paper deals with the risk assessment of professional exposure to the non-ionizing electromagnetic fields caused by radars in the selected military unit. The measured values of electric field or power density in the indication zones where the staff is exposed to the effects of the radar's non-ionizing electromagnetic field was used for the risk assessment with the acceptance of national and European standards. The principle of preliminary precaution was applied concurrently with the risk assessment according to the valid standards. The authors discuss the values of measured outcomes. They used the Checklist Analysis for qualifications of risks and...
The Transformation of Bundeswehr's LogisticsMilitary professional
Ing. Vladislav Vincenec, doc. Ing. Miroslav Cempírek, CSc.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 111-120
In recent history, German armed forces have been transformed into a modern, international recognized force, so has its logistics. Readiness became a major issue and soldiers suddenly had to be prepared for a broad variety of international missions, predictably supported by military logistics that newly cooperates with a private sector. The main logistics control and management centre is situated in the port city Wilhelmshaven. The Centre is responsible for planning logistics operations, their coordination both home and abroad. The newly created department for supply chain management is going to streamline supplies, to increase efficiency of the whole...
The Report on International 3rd CBRN Commandant and Commanders ConferenceMilitary professional
Mjr. Ing. Pavel Otřísal, pplk. doc. Ing. Zdeněk Skaličan, CSc.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 121-123
In October 2008, under the auspices of the First Deputy Chief of the ACR General Staff Maj.Gen. Josef Prokš and Col. Jiří Gajdoš, Chief of Czech Armed Forces Chemical Corps, 3rd International CBRN Commandant and Commanders Conference took place in Liberec, dealing with the CBRN threats and variants of protection against them. The Conference was organized by Force Development Division-Operations Section Chemical Corps Department in cooperation with Centre of Excellence in Vyškov, 31st CBRN brigade in Liberec, NBC Defence Institute in Vyškov, Centre of Biological Protection at Těchonín, Chemical Corps Department of Joint Forces in Olomouc, Czech NBC...
Pretesting at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University (STANAG 6001 Tests)Language preparation
Mgr. Helena Rýlichová, Mgr. Sonia Šamalíková
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 124-127
In October 2008, language knowledge was pretested at the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University in Brno. The test was developed in accordance with NATO Standardization Agreement 6001 by the examiners of the Defense Language Institute (DLI) of the Czech Army in Vyškov. It covered listening comprehension and reading comprehension tests at SLP 1-2 levels. The tests were organized on behalf of the Department of English Language and Literature by Mgr. Ivana Hrozková and Mgr. Sonia Šamalíková (former Director of DLI Methodology and Testing Department) with a total of 80 students participated in...
Teaching Grammar and Learning Foreign LanguagesLanguage preparation
Kpt. Ing. Petra Vráblíková, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 128-137
The famous quotation from Moliére that says "Grammar, which knows how to control even kings", implies importance of grammar for everyday use. There are many way of the acquisition of grammar. The best or smartest way of teaching grammar is to memorize rules in sentence contexts to bear them in mind for a longer time, and learn those rules more easily. The authoress presents new ways in teaching grammar, expressed in works by several famous authors, Barton, Birch, Chomsky, Hudson, Larsen-Freeman, Patterson, Pennington, Weaver. Those are: communicative and competitive models, together with systematic and consistent procedures, resulting in highly motivated...
Threat of Extremism from the Point of View of the Czech Armed ForcesMilitary sociology
Doc. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Mareš, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 138-151
The paper deals with the assessment of extremism in connection with the Czech Armed Forces. It analyses attitudes of various forms of Czech domestic extremist movements to the military sphere and possible impacts of the infiltration of extremists into the army, namely in time of danger (training militant activities, including paramilitarism, subversion, espionage, etc). The most important problem of the contemporary Czech counter-extremist policy in this area is the rise of neo-Nazi activities in the armed forces and the establishing of extreme right paramilitary units which take interest in the engagement of soldiers. Even though these activities...
The Legacy of Sammuel Huntington (From the Prevalence ofIdeological Conflicts to the Clash of Cultures)Book review
PhDr. Antonín Rašek.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 152-155
This essay is based up ideas summarized in Huntington's famous book The Clash of Civilizations. According to Mr. Huntington, there are seven or eight world civilizations. The West is "unique"-but its values are not universal. World politics is entering a new phase, in which the great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of international conflict will be cultural. The decline of the nation state from the conflicting pulls of tribalism and globalism, among others. The author of this essay introduces individual world's cultures and traces prognostic visions both from historical and topical point of view. He warns against intervening into...
The Phenomenon Ivan Gabal (Talking to a Brick Wall, Karolinum, 2008)Book review
Lt.Col. Ing. Bohuslav Pernica, Ph.D.
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 156-157
We have no many characters that unlike Ivan Gabal could move on the edge of practice, academic world and politics, dealing with incomparable themes: foreign policy, security, terrorism, Europe vs. the Czech Republic and vice versa. Referred chapters are entitled NATO, EU, Radar, the Army of the Czech Republic. Among others, Mr. Gabal compares Czech army with its English and American counterparts, evidently better than ours, because those armies have not undergone such troublesome history in the last hundred years as the ACR. Ivan Gabal's editorials, sociological analyses, critical and professional articles from 1997-2007, when focusing on safety and...
The War Hero Has Gone Away: Major General (ret.) Ing. Antonín PetrákPersonal data
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 2/2009: 158-161
As a young army lieutenant he left for France to fight against hated German invaders. In Great Britain, he spontaneously enrol for the fight behind the front lines, but because of his pedagogical capabilities he became an instructor of airborne troops in the so-called Special Training Schools organized by British SOE. In Scottish Traigh House, the main training facility of Czechoslovak paratroopers, he worked as a translator, combat instructor, and even the commander of combat course. In 1944 he took over the position of brigade company commander of supporting arms, Czech Armoured Division. After landing in Northern France, he took part in many fights...