Final Word from Monday, June 6, 2022

The policy statement of the Fiala government calls for updating strategic documents related to the nation's defense by 2023, such as the Defense Strategy. The war in Ukraine has understandably shifted some priorities, which means that the Defense Strategy might undergo more change than previously expected. Yet Defense Min. Jana Černochová of ODS reportedly initially proposed Maj. Gen. Ivo Střecha to succeed Gen. Aleš Opata as army chief of staff, indicating that she wanted an incremental change to the strategy, not a radical one. After Pres. Miloš Zeman reportedly rejected Střecha, Černochová nominated Brig. Gen. Karel Řehka, whom Zeman accepted. Černochová is now talking about forcing as many as one-third of the army's generals into retirement so that Řehka can put together his own team. This all happened within a matter of two weeks, without any major stated change to defense strategy. This only makes sense if Řehka was Černochová's top choice from the beginning. [ Czech Republic Russia program ]