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 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 and tasks on behalf of the state administration authorities.[6]
Land Forces Command (Czech: Velitelství pozemních sil) is located in Olomouc.[1]Prague 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 brigades and regiments controlling groups of units. Major units are battalion-sized, and minor units are company or platoon-sized units. Airborne Regiment has a unique structure comprising several commandos and centres.[9]
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 Military Headquarters of the Territorial Command, and each one has an Active Reserve infantry company.[10]
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).[11][9]
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.[18]
^"Útvary brigády" [Brigade's units]. 7mb.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^"Organizační struktura" [Organizational structure]. 13dp.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^"Velení a struktura" [Command and Structure]. zenijnipluk.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^"Organizační struktura 53. pPzEB" [53rd Reccon/EW Rgt. Organizational Structure]. 53pluk.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^"14. pluk logistické podpory" [14th Logistic Support Regiment]. 14plogp.army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^"Bude podporovat větší uskupení vojsk" [Battalion will support large military formations]. army.cz (in Czech). Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ ab"Ranks". army.cz. Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2021.