The Czech Land Forces () are the land warfare forces of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The Land Forces consisting of various types of arms and services complemented by air and

special operations forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

constitute the core of the

Army of the Czech Republic The Czech Armed Forces (), also known as the Czech Army, are the military responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as the main part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (). The Czech Armed Forces led by the Staff (military), Gen ...

. Land Forces

Command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * command (Unix), a Unix command * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on A ...

is located in

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. Peacetime structure comprises two mechanized

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s, an airborne

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

and specialized regiments of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...

, CBRN defence,

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

and electronic warfare. Mechanized brigades are equipped with various types of combat vehicles to ensure the execution of different combat operations.

Tasks

The Czech Land Forces are the biggest and decisive part of the Army of the Czech Republic. In coordination with other services they are organized to defend the national territory. Under a crisis situation and in the event of hostilities they form the core of operation

task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

of the allied joint force and eventually they are complemented by mobilized units. The Land Forces are also designed for fulfilment of commitment in compliance with the

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949. Background The treat ...

and tasks on behalf of the state administration authorities.

Equipment

Small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

of the Czech Land Forces are mainly supplied by CZUB, e.g. CZ 805 BREN and BREN 2 assault rifles, CZ 75 and CZ P-10 pistols and CZ Scorpion Evo 3 submachine guns. The Czech Armed Forces are equipped with over 3,000 T810, T815 and T815-7 vehicles of various modifications produced by Tatra. Principal weapons systems of the Czech Land Forces include the Leopard 2A4 tanks gifted from Germany,

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

tanks (specifically the T-72M4CZ modernized in Czech Republic), BVP-2

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

s (Czechoslovak-produced version of BMP-2), Pandur II and Iveco LMV wheeled combat vehicles and 152mm vz. 77 DANA self-propelled

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

Air defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

and

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

units are part of the Czech Air Force. Major armaments and combat equipment as of 1 January 2023: * 82 main battle tanks * 385

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...

s * 167 IFV- and APC-based special vehicles * 137 light armoured vehicles * 172

systems (152mm howitzers and 120mm

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

)
File:Střelecká příprava.jpg, Soldiers armed with CZ 805 and RPG-7 File:Výsadkový tým Carl Gustav.jpg, Paratroopers armed with BREN 2 and Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle File:T-72M4CZ 059.jpg, T-72M4 CZ File:BVP-2 military parade Prague.jpg, BVP-2 File:Pandur2 1457.JPG, Pandur II File:BAHNA 2018 - 581.jpg, Iveco LMV File:131121-A-KH850-004 (11045794563).jpg, vz. 77 DANA File:Tatra T810 (1).jpg, Tatra 810 BAHNA 2018 - 464.jpg, Tatra 815 with pontoon bridge components File:Land Rover Defender 130 rch.jpg, LR 130 RCH File:PrTA MKEB.jpg, MKEB EW system

Organization

Land Forces

() is located in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

was the location of Land Forces Command from July 2013 to June 2020. Between 2003 and 2013 Land Forces were an integral part of the Joint Forces Command in Olomouc. The command structure is hierarchical, with

s and

s controlling groups of units. Major units are

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

-sized, and minor units are

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

-sized units. Airborne Regiment has a unique structure comprising several

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

s and centres. Czech Land Forces are composed of both Regular (full-time) and Active Reserve (part-time) units. Active Reserve platoons, companies and specialized units are affiliated to respective regular units. Moreover, there are 14

Regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Military Headquarters of the Territorial Command, and each one has an Active Reserve infantry company. Transformation of the 600-strong 43rd Airborne Battalion to 43rd Airborne Regiment with more than 1,200 soldiers scheduled for October 2020 is based upon the 2014 Wales summit declaration regarding the NATO Response Force and Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).

Combat Forces

* 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, in Žatec ** Headquarters and Staff ** 41st Mechanized Battalion, in Žatec ( Pandur II) ** 42nd Mechanized Battalion, in

Tábor Tábor (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populated town in the region. The town was founded by the Hussites in 1420. The historic town centre is well pres ...

(Pandur II) ** 44th Light Motorized Battalion, in

Jindřichův Hradec Jindřichův Hradec (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urb ...

( Iveco LMV) **

Signal A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...

Company ** Support Company * 7th Mechanized Brigade, in Hranice ** Headquarters and Staff ** 71st Mechanized Battalion, in Hranice ( BVP-2) ** 72nd Mechanized Battalion, in Přáslavice (BVP-2) ** 73rd Tank Battalion, in Přáslavice ( T-72M4CZ, Leopard 2A4) ** 74th Mechanized Battalion, in Bučovice (BVP-2 - will be the first unit to receive CV90 infantry fighting vehicles) * 43rd Airborne Regiment, in Chrudim ** Headquarters and Staff ** 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Commando companies ** 5th Commando Company (Active Reserve) ** Weapons Center (81 mm mortars, anti-tank guided missiles) ** Combat Support Center (Intelligence, Reconnaissance) ** Command Support Center (Signals) ** Logistics Support Center ** Medical Detachment ** Combat Training Center ** Airborne Training Center

Combat Support Forces

* 13th Artillery Regiment, in Jince ** Headquarters and Staff ***

Garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

Support Element *** Regimental Aid Post ** Command Support Battery ** 131st Artillery Battalion ( 152mm SpGH DANA) ** 132nd Artillery Battalion (152mm SpGH DANA) ** Active Reserve Battery (152mm SpGH DANA) **

STAR A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

Battery ( ARTHUR Artillery Tracking Radar, Sněžka Surveillance and Reconnaissance System) ** Logistic Company * 15th Engineer Regiment, in

Bechyně Bechyně (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

** Headquarters and Staff *** EOD Technical and Information Support Center *** Support Platoon *** Garrison Support Element ** 151st Engineer Battalion, in Bechyně ** 152nd Engineer Battalion, in Bechyně ** 153rd Engineer Battalion, in

* 31st Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Regiment, in

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

** Headquarters and Staff *** Support Platoon ** 311th Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Battalion, in Liberec ** 312th Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Battalion, in Liberec ** 314th

Weapons of Mass Destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...

Warning Center, in Hostivice * 53rd Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare Regiment, in

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

** Headquarters and Staff *** Signal Company *** Support Platoon *** Garrison Support Element *** Regimental Aid Post ** 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion, in Prostějov ** 532nd Electronic Warfare Battalion, in Opava ** 533rd Unmanned Aircraft Systems Battalion, in Prostějov ** ISR Center, in Opava

Combat Service Support The term combat service support (or CSS) is utilized by numerous military organizations throughout the world to describe entities that provide direct and indirect sustainment services to the groups that engage (or are potentially to be engaged) ...
Forces

* 14th Logistic Support Regiment, in

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

** Headquarters and Staff ** Command Support Company ** 141st Supply Battalion, in Pardubice ** 142nd Maintenance Battalion, in Klatovy ** 143rd Supply Battalion, in Lipník nad Bečvou MOD's Logistics Agency has been building the Host Nation Support (HNS) Battalion in Rakovník since October 2018. HNS Battalion is not part of the Land Forces as it reports directly to the Logistics Agency.

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and enlisted personnel.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Military of the Czech Republic Armies by country