The Czech Army has registered an increased interest in joining the active reserves since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Photo credit: Army_CR
Bechyne, South Bohemia, Oct 13 (CTK) – The Czech Army wants to have around 10,000 troops in its active reserves by 2030, information officer Petr Sturc told CTK yesterday. There are currently 4,061 reservists, and about 20 troops from active reserves of the Czech Army Territory Forces are currently attending drills in Bechyne.
The course is held regularly several times a year, aiming to unify the drill method and improve the basic knowledge of the troops on a team level, said Sturc.
The Czech Army has 14 infantry companies and has planned training for various groups of these military units for this year and the next, Sturc explained.
The territorial forces have 1,800 troops in active reserves, and the maximum current capacity is 3,200 soldiers. These soldiers must be over 18 with a clean criminal record, have a vocational certificate as their minimum education, and must also sign a statement that they do not support extremism.
The Czech Army has registered an increased interest in joining the active reserves since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In March, 1,195 people applied for military service and 582 people were interested in attending a voluntary military drill.
The army explains that the current system of active reserves started to come into existence in 1999, when then-Chief of Staff Jiri Sedivy called for reservists to join the voluntary military drill.
The active reserve groups started to be expanded more intensively in 2002, and the infantry was established in 2004.
More than 60 units of active reserves are available to the Czech army. They are divided into fighting units and units of territorial forces which are meant for defending the territory and important buildings, as well as helping during natural disasters.
