Czech Republic
Until February 1948, Czechoslovakia had been a pluralistic, democratic state, mindful of Soviet national security concerns but linked economically and intellectually to the West. Then, in the space of seven days, it was abruptly transformed into a Communist dictatorship, a shattering development because it suggested a replay of events that had led to the last world war.
The present-day Czech Republic, as one of the two succession states of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, emerged on 1 January 1993 (the other newly established country being the Slovak Republic). Historically it resumes the tradition of the Czechoslovak Republic. It consists of the historical lands of Bohemia, Moravia and the south-eastern part of Silesia. The peaceful division of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic and the fact that friendly relations have been preserved between populations of both succession states went down in European history, particularly in the context of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and the follow-up events in the Balkans, as an important example of a civilised resolution of a nationality dispute. The Czech Republic is an independent, united state based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. Its capital is Prague (other major towns are Brno, Ostrava, Plzen, Liberec, Hradec Králové, Ceské Budejovice, Pardubice etc.)
According to the Constitution of the Czech Republic, the President is the supreme commander of Armed Forces, while the Minister of Defence, as a member of the Government, is the immediate superior to his deputies and the Chief of the General Staff, who is the highest military official within the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
The name of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (ACR) is used for the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) or the Czech military unless stated or referred otherwise hereinafter. As the literal translation from Czech into English of the Army of the Czech Republic could imply it contains only ground forces, the formulation of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic has been adopted to describe the whole organisation of the Czech military. The Czech law No. 219/1999 Dig., referred to as the Defence Law, including its amendments, stipulates that the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic consist of the Army, Military Office of President of the Republic, and the Castle Guard. The Castle Guard is a military unit protecting and defending the seat of the President at the Prague Castle.
