Mosnov, North Moravia,Sept 19 (CTK) – The Czech military can deploy 900 soldiers within 48 hours to help the police in the case of refugees’ influx, Chief-of-Staff Josef Becvar told reporters during the 15th NATO Days event in Mosnov Saturday.
Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO) said the military would negotiate with the police on Monday about their joint exercise in late September.
“We are immediately prepared to deploy 900 soldiers in a fairly short time, within about 48 hours, to help the police of the Czech Republic. They would subsequently determine where the soldiers would serve,” Becvar said.
The military is able to provide up to 2500 soldiers for the police.
“Then we would have to clearly say which activities we would have to limit, for example, our participation in international exercises and other commitments,” said Becvar.
Stropnicky said the military must prepare for a possible refugee wave that cannot be fully ruled out, and divide tasks with the police.
This is why representatives of the General Military Staff and the Police Presidium will meet on Monday to discuss their joint exercise, he added. It should be held by the end of September, Stropnicky said.
“Soldiers and other military personnel are sufficiently experienced from foreign missions where they have to manage work with the crowd and other quite complex tasks… So I suppose that the military will fulfil the tasks well if it is deployed,” Becvar added.
