Vlastimil Picek is the current Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

Military of the Czech Republic

The Army of the Czech Republic comprise the land forces, the Czech Air Force and support units. From the late 1940s to 1989, the extensive Czechoslovak Armed Forces formed one of the pillars of the Warsaw Pact military alliance...

. He is the fourth person and the first member of Czech Air Force

Czech Air Force

The Czech Air Force is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The Air Force, with the Land Forces, comprises the Joint Forces, the main combat power of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic...

 to serve at this position. He was appointed by President

President of the Czech Republic

The President of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic. Unlike his counterparts in Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech President has a considerable role in political affairs...

 Václav Klaus

Václav Klaus

Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...

 and took office on 1 March 2007.

Education

He graduated from Military Technical Secondary School in Nové Mesto nad Váhom

Nové Mesto nad Váhom

Nové Mesto nad Váhom is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.- Geography :District town located at the northern edge of the Danubian Hills at the foothills of the northern end of the White Carpathians, on the Váh river. Other mountains nearby are the White Carpathians and the Považský Inovec...

 in 1975. From 1976 to 1981 he studied at Military Academy in Brno

Brno

Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

. While studying at Military Academy, he attended two special courses, Internal study and internal study of intelligence. In 1993, Picek finished his postgraduate degree from Czech Technical University in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and in 1997 he finished the follow-on academic course of the General Staff at the Military Academy in Brno

Brno

Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

.

Military career

• 1975 – 1978
  • Senior radio operator
• 1983 – 1986
  • Deputy Battalion Commander for Technical Issues
• 1986 – 1989
  • Senior officer at the National Air Defence HQ
• 1989 – 1993
  • Head of HQ Group for AF and NAD
• 1993 – 1994
  • Chief of Signal Branch 4th Air Defence Corps HQ
• 1994 – 1995
  • Section Chief of the Signal Branch at the General Staff of ACR
• 1995 – 1996
  • Deputy Chief of the Signal Branch at the General Staff of ACR
• 1996 – 1997
  • Chief of the Signal Branch at the General Staff of ACR (GS)
• 1997 – 2000
  • Chief of the Operational-Tactical C2 Systems Department, GS
• 2000 – 2001
  • Chief of the ACR Signal Branch – Chief of the Command and Control Division, GS
• 2001 – 2003
  • Chief of the ACR Control and Command Division, GS – MoD Security Director
• 1 May 2003- 1 March 2007
  • Chief of the Military Office of the President of the Czech Republic
    President of the Czech Republic
    The President of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic. Unlike his counterparts in Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech President has a considerable role in political affairs...
    
    
• 1 March 2007-
  • Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

Dates of rank

• Brigadier
  Brigadier
  Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
  
  : 14 March 2001
• Major General
  Major General
  Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
  
  : 8 May 2003
• Lieutenant General
  Lieutenant General
  Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
  
  : 8 May 2006

Awards and decorations

• Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence
  Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic
  The Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic was established on 16 December 1996. The decoration is presented in three classes, and is the highest award bestowed by the Minister of Defence.-Criteria:...
  
   2nd and 3rd Grade
• ACR Medal 3rd Grade
• National Service Medal
• Medal for Merits in National Defence
• Honorary Commemorative Badge for Service in Peace Operation in the Balkans
• NATO 50th Anniversary Medal
• Honorary Commemorative ACR Badge of Premysl Otakar II, the Iron and Gold King

External links

• Official biography