Czech Republic: International Terrorism is the Biggest Threat to NATO After Russia

The Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Karel Řehka, stated that international terrorism continues to be a significant threat to the North Atlantic Alliance. At the same time, Russia remains the most serious concern.

This was reported by the ČTK.

According to Řehka, the Czech Republic cannot count on "eternal peace" as conflicts, wars, and strategic upheavals regularly recur.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Republic noted that Russia is preparing for a prolonged war in Ukraine and also highlighted the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East provoked by the Hamas terrorist attack on civilians in Israel.

Řehka suggests that the Czech Republic and other Western countries should prepare for the possibility of a high-intensity defensive war against a technologically advanced adversary equipped with nuclear weapons.

He also emphasized that in case of a conflict between Russia and NATO, the Czech Republic would be among the parties involved in the conflict.

It is worth noting that, according to the budget proposal for the next year, the Czech Ministry of Defense will receive approximately 151 billion Czech crowns, about 40 billion more than the current defense budget. Along with other defense expenditures, this amount will reach 160 billion Czech crowns, exceeding 2% of the country's GDP for the first time since the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999.

It is expected that by the end of the current year, the Czech Republic will approve a new strategy for the development of the army until 2035. The document includes a significant technological transformation, including the transition to Western technologies and the digitization and coordination of the army.

"The army will switch to Western technologies; it will be digitized and harmonized," added Řehka.

The unprovoked, genocidal war by Russia in Ukraine has made NATO face unprecedented challenges and provoked one of the most significant transformations of the Bloc since its creation.

It was previously reported by The Gaze that in case of the conflict freezing in Ukraine, Russia would likely attack Eastern NATO members such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. According to German researchers, NATO has 6-10 years to prepare for a major war.