Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to extend my patronage to this year’s Future Forces Forum and once again to support an event that, over the years, has established itself as an important platform for debate on the future of defence and security.

The security environment has changed fundamentally. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has reminded us of the importance of strong and modern armed forces. At the same time, we are increasingly confronted with threats that extend beyond the traditional understanding of defence. Cyberattacks, influence operations, attacks on critical infrastructure, unmanned systems and the rapid development of artificial intelligence all demonstrate how closely national defence, internal security and the resilience of society as a whole are now interconnected.

This is precisely why I consider it so important that the Future Forces Forum brings together representatives of the armed forces and security services, public administration, academia, and the defence and security industry.

During my four years as Minister of Defence, I had the opportunity to help shape decisions that will influence the Army of the Czech Republic for decades to come. We concluded contracts for major modernisation projects, including F-35 aircraft, CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard tanks and C-390 transport aircraft. Equally important to me, however, was ensuring that the Czech defence industry benefited as much as possible from increased defence investment.

The results are clear. According to an analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Czech defence industry accounted for approximately 1% of GDP in 2023, while by 2025 its share had risen to around 3%. At the same time, Czech exports of defence materiel increased from €0.6 billion in 2021 to more than €4.1 billion in 2025 — an almost sevenfold increase. This represents an extraordinary shift. We opened the door for Czech companies to participate in the Army’s largest modernisation projects, promoted their involvement in manufacturing, maintenance and international supply chains, and helped remove barriers that had constrained their development for many years.

One of those barriers was access to finance. From the very beginning of my tenure at the Ministry of Defence, I devoted considerable attention to the EU taxonomy, ESG rules and the approach taken by banks towards defence companies. I considered it unacceptable that businesses vital to the country’s defence capabilities should struggle to obtain credit or even basic banking services simply because they operate in the defence sector.

I also sought to challenge the outdated stereotype of the defence industry as a “dirty business”. The defence industry is not something for which we should apologise. It is a source of cutting-edge research, advanced technologies, highly skilled jobs and significant exports. Above all, it strengthens our ability to avoid becoming entirely dependent, in times of crisis, on what others are able to supply.

Today, I view these issues from my position as Chair of the Committee on Security of the Chamber of Deputies. From this perspective, it is even clearer to me that defence and internal security are not two separate worlds. We need a modern army, a well-equipped police force, capable fire and rescue services, other components of the Integrated Rescue System, resilient critical infrastructure, strong capabilities in cyberspace, and a robust domestic defence and security industry.

This is where I see the particular value of the Future Forces Forum. It provides a platform for those who safeguard our national security, those who make decisions about it, and those who develop and manufacture the practical solutions on which it depends.

I wish this year’s Future Forces Forum many stimulating discussions, new partnerships and, above all, tangible outcomes that will contribute to the security of the Czech Republic and our allies.