No.31. (28/11/2003)

Poles and Czechs take different NATO paths
17.11.2003

Although Poland and the Czech Republic joined NATO together in 1999, the two countries have taken markedly different paths in reforming and retooling their militaries to better contribute to the Atlantic alliance. Poland's thinking reflects that of an emerging regional power that wants a military and a role to match its ambitions. The Czechs, like many other small countries that have joined NATO, are seeking to identify niche areas where they can make modest, yet meaningful, contributions. The differences in approach reflect changing strategic and political realities for NATO.

As the alliance expands from its current 19 members to 26 and continues its evolution from a defensive alliance designed to counter the Soviet threat to a more proactive and flexible fighting machine, different demands are being made on members depending on their specific capabilities and geographic locations. Warsaw made international headlines in April by agreeing to a US$3.5 billion deal to purchase 48 F-16 fighter jets from the US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. US officials at the time referred to the agreement as "the contract of the century." The Czech Republic, meanwhile, has more modest aspirations as it ponders how to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-made MIG fighter jets. Prague is considering proposals to either lease 14 British/Swedish-made Gripins, or to buy 14 used F-16s. While few questioned the Polish F-16 purchase, many in Prague have openly questioned whether a small country like the Czech Republic needs supersonic fighter jets at all.

Downsizing armies

Similar differences also exist in the countries' plans to downsize their respective armed forces. Poland currently has 150'000 men under arms, with plans to reduce that number over the next six years to 100'000 - half of whom will be draftees and half volunteers. The Czech government plans to phase out conscription altogether by 2006, reduce its armed forces from the current 50'000 personnel to an all-volunteer force of 35'000, and close half of the country's 150 bases. Prague has decided that rather than try to have it all, it can best contribute to NATO by directing most of its military resources into a few small niche areas where it can fulfill specific needs. ''We tried to figure out how to play the best role as a small country with limited resources,'' Czech Defense Ministry strategic planning director Jan Vana said in an interview last year. ''The idea was to specialize, but we weren't going to specialize in cooks.'' The Czechs decided to create what Vana calls ''centers of excellence'' and ''active assets'' that can meet NATO's needs. These included two anti-nuclear, -biological, and -chemical (NBC) units, a mobile field hospital, and a passive radar system. Other small countries have followed the Czechs' lead in specializing, most notably the seven countries that were invited to join the alliance at NATO's November 2002 Prague Summit. Slovakia is working closely with the Czechs to improve its own NBC unit. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are cooperating to operate a Baltic-wide radar system that guards the northwestern frontier of NATO's airspace. Romania and Slovenia have each touted their militaries' skills in fighting on mountainous terrain.

Rapid deployment force

NATO officials say niche contributions will be a key part of a new rapid-deployment force that the alliance unveiled in October. The force currently has 9'000 troops and will be expanded to 20'000 by 2006. Warsaw is also focusing on specific areas of excellence, most notably the country's special forces, which have received high marks for their performance in Iraq. But Poland, which is four times the size of the Czech Republic and shares borders with Ukraine and Belarus, accounting for a large part of NATO's eastern frontier, faces greater security threats than the Czech Republic and therefore does not have the luxury of only specializing in a few niche areas. "Poland is not small enough to specialize," said Bronislaw Komorowski, deputy chairman of the Sejm's National Defense Committee. "It is a frontier country in NATO and cannot afford to eliminate certain forces. Being a frontier country, we must have a military prepared to defend our territory -- land, sea, and air." But Poland, alone among the former communist states that have joined NATO, aspires to play a leading role in Central and Eastern Europe. "Poland has a chance to play the role of leader in this part of the world," Komorowski said.

(By Brian Whitmore for RFE/RL)