Czech Military Review, 2018 (vol. 99), issue 3
EU Permanent Structured Cooperation - a New Momentum for Streamlining Interaction Between the EU Operations Planning and Capability DevelopmentReviewed - Review
Zdeněk Petráš, Ján Spišák
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 3-14 
The authors' intention is to present findings to which they came while analysing the implementation process of the EU Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), especially in the area of EU operations planning and development of capabilities required for achieving the EU level of ambition. Only issuing the EU Global Strategy in 2016 and its subsequent implementation process seems to be a momentum for specifying commitments stemming from PESCO. At present, there is a list of common binding commitments which 25 of 28 EU member states have signed to. This list includes specific commitments as for development of required capabilities needed for achieving...
Approaches to Scenario DevelopmentReviewed - Review
Jan Gireth
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 15-24
The article deals with the issue of methodological approach to scenario development. This paper describes the methods and techniques used in scenarios development both in civilian sphere and within NATO and the EU, with an emphasis on their role in the military capability development process of the armed forces. The article defines the usual scenario construction process and describes the location and differences of generic and specific planning situations. In addition, the principles necessary to create quality scenarios are described here. The conclusion of the article deals with proposals focused on the elaboration of a methodology for scenario...
Radicalization in the Armed Forces: Lessons from the Czech Republic and Germany in the Central European ContextReviewed - Review
Miroslav Mareš
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 25-36
The paper deals with the process of radicalization in the armed forces in Central Europe, with specific focus on the Czech Armed Forces and the Bundeswehr. The author conceptualizes radicalization as a recent security threat and explains the specifics of the use of this concept in the armed forces. The most important historical legacies are identified and the current development cases and trends are analyzed and compared, including the specifics of various streams of extremism. Possible recommendations how to counter radicalization are included in the paper.
Proxy Wars and the Role of Intelligence Services in the Current Middle-EastReviewed - Review
Josef Kraus
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 37-45
The paper deals with the concept of proxy wars in the region of the Middle-East and the role of intelligence services in it. In the current conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, many external actors and powers interfere using (not only) their intelligence services for the defence of their national interests in afflicted states, often even combating each other on a territory of a different state. The main goal of the paper is to introduce the concept of proxy war and analyse the role of intelligence services in the ongoing conflicts in the defined area.
German Military Transformation - the Never-Ending Quest for Appropriate Military CapacitiesReviewed - Review
Zdeněk Kříž
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 47-62
Since the end of the Cold War, several military reforms have been carried out in Germany so far and a new military transformation is in the process of preparation. Over the years, the definition of the Bundeswehr's main missions has gradually shifted towards crisis management operations and the structure of the armed forces has accommodated to this shift. After the 2010-2011 reform, it was entirely evident that crisis management operations have become the main task of the armed forces. At present, German military policy places the main emphasis on "restoring the capacities" for collective defence. The strengthening of the expeditionary element in the...
Balkan Foreign FightersReviewed - Review
Věra Stojarová
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 63-74
The article focuses on the issue of foreign fighters from the Balkan peninsula, and examines the measures that have been taken by governments in the region to combat it. The author asserts that the first ISIS losses and the thinning of the first wave of enthusiastic recruits accompanied with the first disillusioned returnees and changes in public policies and in public discourse (political narrative and narrative of Islamic communities, mass media) caused the unprecedented decline in the number of new recruits.
Perfecting the Instrument: Learning Operations at the Beginning of CampaignsReviewed - Review
Lazar Berman, Yaniv Friedman
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 75-92
Uncertainty is a constant in war. Militaries regularly go into conflicts with operational concepts that are not relevant in the face of the enemy and his plans. The authors propose a way to reduce uncertainty and rapidly check, then adapt, the operational concept - designed learning operations at the beginning of campaigns. These relatively small operations will create friction with the enemy, giving learning teams crucial information to assess their operational concepts. Learning operations offer conventional militaries a way to maximize their advantages over sub-state enemies, by concentrating learning at the outset of the fight and adapting first.
Contemporary Security Policy of the European Union in MaliReviewed - Review
Marek Rechtik
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 93-104
The European Union is interested in ensuring the security of African countries in the region of Sahel because some of the threats originating from this region can potentially endanger its member states. With the deteriorating situation in northern Mali, the EU has decided to become more active in this country through Common Security and Defence Policy missions. The aim of this article is to introduce and subsequently assess the contemporary policy of EU in Mali. Particular attention will be paid to the European Union Training Mission in Mali and European Union Capacity Building Mission in Mali, which have so far produced rather mixed results. The article...
Role of International Cooperation in the Development of the Czech Armed Forces Medical CapabilitiesReviewed - Review
Petr Král, Antonín Novotný
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 105-128
The article deals with the use and future prospects of the international cooperation for the development some of Czech Armed Forces capabilities in the field of military medicine. It has no ambition to address this issue in its entirety, but only contains an analysis of some of the current formats and initiatives of international cooperation in the field of military medicine, with the justification of their origins and a brief evaluation of their contribution. Part of the article is also a proposal for possible measures to improve the development of medical capabilities in the framework of international cooperation.
Three Key Issues of Project Management in the Ministry of Defense SectorReviewed - Review
Jaromír Pitaš, Miroslav Mašlej
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 129-140
Implementation of project management is a step by which the organization declares that it wants to offer unique products in the appropriate quality. Just as a newly implemented process to an organization is not always perfect and needs to be constantly improved. Consequently, the project management implemented in the organization needs to be improved. The article presents the main problems identified by the members of the project management courses, which took place at the University of Defense in Brno in period 2011 - 2018. The authors of the article, based on the analysis of the findings, concluded that problems identified in the Ministry of Defence...
Mental strain of foreign operations as viewed by Czech soldiersReviewed - Review
Adéla Kunčová, Alena Kajanová
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 141-153
The article deals with the mental strain, as subjectively perceived by Czech soldiers and their families in the course of and after return from international missions. The research part was processed based on nine in-depth interviews with soldiers with different experiences from foreign missions. The data were processed with the help of grounded theory. The results showed that the involvement in missions is mainly positively assessed, primarily thanks to professional development. The operations bring specific stressors; additionally to critical situations, there is primarily the stress related to separation from the family and the cabin fever. The...
Understanding the Future Battlefield: Building a Future Operating Environment to Support Military AdaptationNonreviewed - Other
Vojenské rozhledy / Czech Military Review Nr. 3/2018: 155-163
This paper is derived from "Exploring the Future Operating Environment", published in Joint Force Quarterly, April 2018. The article was presented at the Defense & Strategy 2018 conference, which took place at the University of Defense in Brno on 4-6 June 2018.