Pluk podpory nasaditelných sil is a specialised logistics unit of the Czech Armed Forces based in Rakovník in the Central Bohemian Region. It has had the status of a regiment since 1 October 2026. Until then it operated as the Prapor podpory nasaditelných sil, which was established on 1 January 2020.[1][2][3] It is a specialised logistics unit.[3] The unit belongs under the Territorial Forces Command.[1]
Tasks
During movements of soldiers and equipment, the unit provides temporary accommodation and meals, technical and medical support and refuelling. According to the Minister of Defence Jaromír Zůna (for SPD) and the commander of the regiment, it is the only one of its kind in Czechia.[1] Its main areas include host nation support (Host Nation Support), that is, looking after allied units during their stay and transit through Czech territory, and the reception, staging and onward movement of forces (Reception, Staging and Onward Movement).[2] Another role is preparing and organising international exercises. The unit has long cooperated with the 163rd Logistics Battalion of the German army and with logistics units of other allied countries, and its members also take part in operations and tasks abroad, for example in Lithuania and Latvia.[1]
Development
According to Ekonomický deník, the battalion reached initial operational capability two years after its establishment and full operational capability on 1 January 2025.[2] Minister Zůna said that soldiers from Rakovník have so far provided support 26 times to allied units during their stay or movements through Czechia.[2][3] Zůna also recalled that he proposed the establishment of a host-nation-support battalion in connection with the results of the NATO summit in Warsaw in 2016, which ranked mobility and resilience among its priorities.[2]
The transformation into a regiment was marked on 6 October 2026 by a ceremonial parade on Husovo náměstí in Rakovník, attended by Minister Zůna and the commander of the territorial forces, Petr Svoboda.[1][2] The commander of the regiment is Martin Kuna.[1]
Capacities
During movements of military convoys, the regiment is, according to the minister, to be able to handle daily accommodation and meals for up to 500 people and technical support for 200 vehicles. At the base for assembling units (Staging Area), it is to be up to 1,000 people and 350 vehicles.[1][3] The number of soldiers is to grow to roughly 1,200; according to the commander Kuna, this expansion is based on the development concept to 2035. iDNES states that the unit currently has approximately five hundred members.[3] The unit is looking for, among others, cooks, mechanics and drivers.[1][3]
The Rakovník garrison
Artillery Regiment 301 was stationed in Rakovník from 1931 to 1939. After the war there were artillery units, in the 1960s the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, and at the end of the 1960s the 2nd Tank Regiment, disbanded in 1994. Rakovník also had depots of aviation ammunition and aviation material.[1] The mayor of Rakovník, Luděk Štíbr, said that the garrison brings the town jobs and purchasing power.[3]
Chronology
- — A ceremonial parade in Rakovník in the Central Bohemian Region marked the founding of the Pluk podpory nasaditelných sil, which replaced the previous battalion on 1 October and is to have 1,200 soldiers. → Czech News Agency / České noviny Ekonomický deník
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 6 October 2026
- Ekonomický deník
- iDNES.cz — 7 October 2026