Karel Řehka, the current director of the National Office for Cyber and Information Security and former commander of the army’s special forces, will become the Chief of the Army General Staff from July. He was appointed to the post on Wednesday at Prague Castle by President Miloš Zeman. Řehka will replace Aleš Opata, dismissed by the president at the end of June.
The government approved Řehka’s nomination in early June. The nomination had previously been discussed with the president by Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS)
Afterward, she said that Zeman agreed with the proposal. The parliamentary defense committee discussed the nomination a few days later. The legal condition for the appointment was fulfilled.
Černochová had previously said that Řehk’s task would be to complete the modernization of the army and that he would also have to deal with the Czech EU presidency and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
The minister sees Řehka’s experience at the NCIB as an advantage because of the threats and struggles in cyberspace.
Brigadier General Řehka, 47, joined and commanded the Special Forces in Prostějov after his studies.
He has been deployed on several foreign missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan and has also served in command structures within NATO. He attended several foreign courses, including the prestigious Rangers in the USA.
After his appointment to head the NCIB, he retired to civilian life. Under his leadership, the NCIB repeatedly dealt with cyber attacks on Czech institutions and companies, and many attributed to Russia.