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Military Of The Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic became a member of NATO on March 12, 1999. A major overhaul of the Czechoslovak defense forces began in 1990 and continues in the Czech Republic. Czech forces have been gradually downsized from 200,000 to 35,000 and at the same time reoriented toward defensive posture. In year 2004 the army transformed into fully professional organization and compulsory military service has been ended. The Czechs have made good progress in reforming the military personnel structure, and a strong commitment to English language training is paying off. Public support for NATO membership remains around 50%-60%. The Czech Government committed itself in 1996 to increase defense spending by 0.1% of GDP annually until the year 2000, when military spending will reach or exceed 2% of GDP. This will put Czech defense spending on a level proportionately comparable with other NATO allies. The transformation of the army was accompanied by many corruption scandals. These scandals considerably lowered prestige of the army (newer being very popular in public). The Czech Republic has friendly relations with all of its neighbors, and none of its borders are in question. The Czech Republic is a member of the UN and OSCE and has contributed to numerous peacekeeping operations, including IFOR/SFOR in Bosnia, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,637,128 (2002 est.) Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,012,779 (2002 est.) Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 69,393(2002 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.1902 billion (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY01) References and Links Czech Republic
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