Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Vaclav Havel's NATO franchise in Central Europe is implementing Brussels' directives in every particular. The transition from a conscript army to a professional - for which read mercenary - one is intrinsically anti-democratic. Either all able-bodied adults should serve in the military or, preferably, no one should. Americans may recall that when then President Richard Nixon cancelled student deferments during the U.S.'s war against Indochina, anti-war sentiment on and off campus increased appreciably. Since the U.S. has shifted to so-called professional armed forces, the same sentiment has decreased in equal degree. Downsizing the alleged "excessive number of senior officers" translates as purging the officer corps of anyone suspected of "nationalist" loyalties, particularly those trained during the Warsaw Pact years. "Equipment modernization" requires little comment, except to remind us where such modernized weaponry is produced and who stands to profit from its purchase. Havel's predecessor of sixty three years ago, Eduard Benes, may have surrendered his country to a continental military bloc under some duress; Vaclav Havel is doing so solely on his own initiative....though Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Northrup and friends may be making it worth his while.] Czechs March Toward All-professional Army PRAGUE, Aug 30, 2001 -- (dpa) The Czech Republic is marching with confidence Thursday toward the goal of replacing mandatory military service with an all-professional army by January 2007. The proposed makeover - which also calls for drastic personnel cuts, streamlining command structure and equipment modernization - could begin next spring. The Defense Ministry's basic reform plan is now in parliament's hands. Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik unveiled the concept of an all-volunteer army last spring and received unanimous support from the full cabinet Wednesday. President Vaclav Havel, the country's commander-in-chief, reportedly plans to meet with parliament leaders soon to build support for the plan. The NATO alliance, which the Czech Republic joined in 1999, backs the proposed changes. About 70,000 soldiers and civilian staffers currently serve in the Czech military. Under the reforms, staffing would be trimmed to 35,000 voluntary soldiers and 10,000 civilians. Military spending would be set at 2.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product. A recent Defense Ministry report said the army suffers from a variety of problems including task duplication, poor financial management, inefficient command systems, an "excessive number of senior officers" and the "nonexistence of clearly determined priorities." The report also cited difficulties in finding high-quality soldiers because the number of eligible conscripts has been decreasing. Under the reform plan, the army's last conscription round would be in January 2006. "We want to build an army on four 'Ms' -- mala (small), mobile, modern and mlada (young) not only in age, but also in thinking," Tvrdik said. (C)2001. dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
