The Brigadier General Ladislav Jung has become the new Commander of the Land Forces of the Army of the Czech Republic. He replaced the Major General Josef Kopecký who became the Commander of the newly established Operation Headquarters. Let us consider the experience of the new General and what can be expected of the ground forces in the coming years.

Picture: Brigadier General Ladislav Jung | army.cz

The ground forces represent the core of the Army of the Czech Republic. The combat units in the form of two brigades are their basis. The structure of the ground forces also involves the artillery units, sappers, chemists, members of the Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare or logistical support. Their basic equipment consists of wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, tanks, self-propelled gun howitzers, mortars, light and heavy off-road vehicles. This brings us to the important tasks of the new Commander that will include ´fight´ for his people, ´fight´ for the new military engineering, equipment and armaments.  Will the Commander fight for his people? Of course, he is not a newcomer and already worked as the Deputy Commander.  He already knows the problems that the ground forces have been facing.

Picture: The ground forces represent the core of the Army of the Czech Republic. The combat units in the form of two brigades are their basis. The structure of the ground forces also involves the artillery units, sappers, chemists, members of the Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare or logistical support. | army.cz

The General must show his decisiveness and support, not just loyalty to the leadership of the Army of the Czech Republic. There was a survey, in a joking manner, taking place within the Facebook group All about the Armed Forces about what selection procedure would be cancelled first or renamed to market research. Nevertheless, let´s think the delays that are associated with the selection process away and return to the subject. The General Jung can expect the replacement of obsolete technology in the coming years. Therefore, it is also his responsibility to take care of the implementation of new systems, but also to address the increasing pressure on the leadership of the Army of the Czech Republic and politicians in order to avoid further delays in the selection processes.

The General Jung is an experienced soldier. At the age of nearly 57, he reached the top in his expertise. His alma mater became the Military University of the Ground Forces Vyškov, specialization – Theory of Control and Combat Use of ground troops. He was placed in the position of the Commander of the 1st Tank Company of the 1st Tank Battalion in 1986 – 1988 and he became the Deputy Commander of the 18th Tank Regiment in 1993. His military career was then linked to the 42nd Mechanized Battalion, then directly to the position of the Deputy Commander of the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade in 2001 – 2007 and was appointed the Commander in 2008 – 2010. Afterwards, the career of the Director of the Ground Forces Department of the Forces Development Section – The Operation Section of the Ministry of Defence up to the present position as the Ground Forces Commander. 

“The new Commander Ladislav Jung is an experienced soldier, a great professional and a fair guy who underwent all command functions and has international experience. Considering his knowledge, I am sure that the ground forces will manage to reach the largest rearmament in the history of our army under his command,” said the General Aleš Opata.  

Picture: The Army General Aleš Opata (left), the Major General Josef Kopecký (sitting) and the Brigadier General Ladislav Jung (right) at signing the handover document in the Presidential Lounge of the National Memorial in Vítkov. | army.cz

What are the priorities of the General Jung? "In my work I would like to focus mainly on three areas – personnel, training and implementation of new technologies. My main priority is the personnel now. We have to take care of our soldiers to have educated, well-prepared and trained people, because their basis of all ground forces, every unit, every regiment,” he said during his appointment at Vítkov last week. This clearly shows how his command of ground forces will be conceived. 

Picture: General Jung replaced the Major General Josef Kopecký who became the Commander of the newly established Operation Command. | army.cz

The General Jung has also international experience, though not so significant in contrast with his predecessor the Major General Kopecký.  Jung completed his first and last foreign mission in 1996 within the IFOR Bosna and Herzegovina mission. The Major General Kopecký was the Chief of Staff of the Battalion, SFOR in Bosnia from 1998 to 1999. Then he was repeatedly the Commander of the Czechoslovak Battalion, KFOR in Kosovo, and in 2006 Chief of the JEB Headquarters, ISAF in Afghanistan. In addition, he became the Commander of the 10th PRT Logar.