Soldiers of Czech army in missions abroad

Between 1993-2008 members of Czech Army took part in a great number of missions and international peace-keeping operations under NATO, EU and UN and therefore contributed to keeping peace in areas of political instability or ethnic cleansing. Apart from mechanized infantry, field hospitals, helicopter units and cargo planes were provided. Soldiers of Czechoslovak army and then Czech Army operated in the peace-keeping mission UNPROFOR from 1992 and from 1995 under the leadership of NATO in the IFOR mission in which the CR participated by means of the mechanized battalion. The CR also took part in the alliance peace-keeping mission in Bosnia and Hercegovina within the SFOR I and SFOR II operation. From 1999 until the restoration of Kosovo Czech Army was active in peace operation KFOR and an exploratory company operated in Macedonia within the operation called Essential Harvest. Members of Czech Army also participated in various UN peace mission as observers for instance in Angola, Namibia, Somalia and former Yugoslavia, among others.

After Sept 11, 2001 Czech Army had prominent presence in operation in the Middle East and Central Asia in Afghanistan (ISAF) and in Iraq where is participated in operations of humanitarian nature (dispatch of field hospitals) and order-keeping missions (contingents of military police).

Foreign mission gradually became a major tool for transformation and professionalization of Czech Army. In the beginning the Army had to send voluntaries from reserves to participate in the missions, more and more often standard combat unit were deployed, which was required especially in both operation in the Balkans, due to their high exacting character.

Participation in mission also enabled integration into NATO military structures and creation of common international units, e.g. creation of joint Czecho-Slovak battalion within the KFOR operation.