89.
The industrial base, especially the domestic defence industry, plays an
indispensable part in the defence effort. Industrial capacities and technological
innovations are one of the key enablers of defence capability. The steps we
are taking to safeguard Czechia’s security interests must necessarily include
promotion of Czech defence and security industries as suppliers to our armed
forces and other security structures. Similarly, the process of building and
maintaining State material reserves benefits our defence industry as it helps
preserve and develop the capabilities and production capacities necessary to
regularly restock the reserves and provide mobilization supplies. The State
material reserves system ensures that the range and volume of our oil product
stocks is sufficient to meet the needs of the Czech Republic’s defence and
security forces as well as the needs of any allied forces present in Czechia’s
territory in connection with NATO collective defence and deterrence.
Whole-of-society factors for defence capability
90. A country’s defence requires an integrated approach. Responsibility for
Czechia’s defence capability does not fall on the Defence Ministry and armed
forces alone. Defence is the responsibility of all bodies of the State, the whole
public administration system, and the whole society. What also matters very
much is to get our people prepared for and involved in defence, to promote
military traditions, to enhance the social standing of armed forces personnel
and civil servants, and to use strategic communication effectively. This is
where the education system comes in with its own contribution to defence
preparations. It develops our military, security, and technical expertise, and it
prepares our society to do their part for our country’s defence.
91.
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Czechia actively builds the non-military elements of its defence capability,
especially in the context of NATO commitments that require us to improve
the resilience of our State and society. The Alliance identifies seven baseline
requirements for national resilience: (1) assured continuity of government,
(2) resilient energy supplies, (3) ability to deal effectively with uncontrolled
movement of people, (4) resilient water and food resources, (5) ability to deal
with mass casualties, (6) resilient civil communications systems, and (7)
resilient transport systems. On this basis, we have adopted a new approach to
civil protection means and arrangements, including protection in the event of a
nuclear attack, as part of our preparation for a potential armed conflict. Czechia
builds its own capacities and tools to ensure civil protection in the event of an
armed conflict affecting our territory.
c. Cyber security
92.
Czechia’s cyber security system involves a broad range of actors from the
public, private, and academic spheres. The cyber space, by its nature, puts
every actor under constant pressure to adapt to a dynamically changing
environment. A common approach to cyber security—coordinated, effective,
proactive, and based on an integrated cyber threat prevention, detection,
and response system—continuously improves the resilience of information
infrastructures crucial to the State. Cyber security is a cross-cutting issue,
and a whole-of-government approach is the best practice in countering cyber
threats. Accordingly, each body of the State, across the broad spectrum, should
have the expertise to deal with these challenges within its respective remit.
The national authority coordinating all the actors is the National Cyber and
Information Security Agency.
93.
The cyber space must remain global, open, stable, reliable, and secure. Czechia
must continue to assist with the development of the legal standards and
policies promoting these aspects. We will encourage our partner countries to
adopt a united approach fostering a responsible conduct of States in the cyber
space. An important challenge is to develop the capabilities and capacities that
enable us to prevent, deter, detect and respond to hostile cyber activity and to
attribute attacks if necessary. The cyber attacker still enjoys the advantages
of comparative anonymity, plausible deniability and asymmetric operations.
Even a small group of actors can use the cyber space to cause damage with
strategic implications.
94. In addition to resilient infrastructure, cyber resilience requires continuous
and systematic education of all social groups on secure use of the cyber space.
Czechia has a shortage of cyber security experts. The State together with other
actors must make every effort to enlarge our expert pool.
d. Economic security
Internal dimension of economic security
95.
The economic security dimension of prolonged high-intensity conflicts adds
even more importance to the development of industrial, technological, and
research capacities and know-how in areas crucial to the functioning of our
State and economy. Czechia’s security interests require that bodies of the
State occupy positions of influence in strategic companies vital to the very
functioning of our economy. The State’s ownership rights in partly Stateowned companies must be exercised efficiently and with the benefit of expert
knowledge.
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