Petr Pavel (born 1 November 1961) is a retired
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
army
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
who served as the
Chair of the NATO Military Committee
The Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) is the head of the NATO Military Committee, which advises the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on military policy and strategy. The CMC is the senior military spokesperson of the 30-nation alliance and ...
from 2015 to 2018, and as Chief of the General Staff of the
Czech Army
The Army of the Czech Republic ( cs, Armáda České republiky, AČR), also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic in compliance with international obligations and treaties on collecti ...
from 2012 to 2015.
He is a candidate in the
2023 Czech presidential election
Presidential elections will be held in the Czech Republic on 13 and 14 January 2023.
Incumbent president Miloš Zeman is not eligible to run due to the two-term limit. As was the case in the last two presidential elections, the vote will be d ...
, to be held in January 2023.
Education
Pavel graduated from the military
gymnasium in
Opava
Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava (river), Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a histori ...
. He continued his military study at the
Military University of the Army in
Vyškov
Vyškov (; german: Wischau) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Vyškov ...
, graduating in 1983. He joined the Czechoslovak Army as a
Paratrooper
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
, serving as a
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
leader. In 1985 he joined the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Cominte ...
, remaining a member until the
fall of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
Pavel continued his military studies at the Military Academy in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
(currently united with the University of Defence) from 1988 to 1991.
Military career
Bosnia
After graduating, Pavel worked in the
military intelligence service
The Military Intelligence Service ( ja, アメリカ陸軍情報部, ''America Rikugun Jōhōbu'') was a World War II U.S. military unit consisting of two branches, the Japanese American unit (described here) and the German-Austrian unit based ...
(1991–1993). He served in the Czechoslovak troop contingent of the
United Nations Protection Force
The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...
in
Bosnia. In January 1993, his unit was sent to
evacuate a French military base, where French soldiers were under siege by Serbian troops. The French army was unable to evacuate the base due to the local infrastructure and bridge having been destroyed, and the Czech army was sent to conduct the evacuation as they were situated only 30 kilometres from the base. Pavel went to the base with 29 soldiers and 2
OT-64 SKOT
The OT-64 SKOT (Czech acronym for: ''Střední Kolový Obrněný Transportér'', and/or Polish Średni ''Kołowy Opancerzony Transporter'' – medium wheeled armoured transporter) is an amphibious, armored personnel carrier (8x8), developed joi ...
armed transporters. During the two-hour journey, Pavel's unit faced various obstacles that slowed down the operation, including fallen trees on a road which soldiers had to remove while under mortar fire. When the unit reached the base, two French soldiers were dead and a few others injured. Eventually, 55 French soldiers were evacuated from the base in armed transporters. Pavel was recognized and awarded both in the Czech Republic and in France for his actions during the rescue.
Senior management career
After the operation in Bosnia, Pavel served in various positions in the Czech Army, including military intelligence, diplomacy (deputy military attaché in Belgium), and as commander of a special forces brigade. He was appointed Brigadier General in 2002. He then served as the National Military Representative at
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...
and represented the Czech Army in several international and national organizations. He studied at
Staff College, Camberley, the
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...
, and
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
, graduating with a Master's degree in International Relations.
![IMSC Future-of-NATO Zwez 5F3A1254](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/IMSC_Future-of-NATO_Zwez_5F3A1254.jpg)
He served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic from July 2011 to June 2012. On 1 June 2012 he was promoted to Chief of the General Staff. He was nominated by the Czech government as
Chair of the NATO Military Committee
The Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) is the head of the NATO Military Committee, which advises the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on military policy and strategy. The CMC is the senior military spokesperson of the 30-nation alliance and ...
in July 2014, and appointed to this position in Vilnius in September 2014. He was the first chair of the organisation from a former
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
member. His mandate commenced in 2015. During a security conference in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, in response to a statement by Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg
Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician who has been serving as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014. A member of the Norwegian Labour Party, he previously served as the 34th prime minister of Norway from 2000 to ...
that a rapid response force could respond to an attack on the Baltic states within two days, Pavel said "Russia would be able to occupy the Baltic States within two days".
Following his departure from the army, Pavel became a lecturer and consultant.
2023 Czech presidential election
In 2019, leaders of the
Civic Democratic Party,
KDU-ČSL
KDU-ČSL (In Czech, the initials of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party; cs, Křesťanská a demokratická unie – Československá strana lidová), often shortened to ('the populars') is a Christian-democrati ...
,
TOP 09
TOP 09 (name derived from cs, Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita, lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. TOP 09 holds 14 seats in the Chamber ...
,
Mayors and Independents
The Mayors and Independents ( cs, Starostové a nezávislí), abbreviated to STAN, is a liberal political party in the Czech Republic that is focused on localism and subsidiarity. The party grew out of four minor parties, including Independe ...
and
Czech Pirate Party
The Czech Pirate Party or Pirates ( cs, Česká pirátská strana , abbreviated ''Piráti'' ) is a liberal progressive political party in the Czech Republic, founded in 2009. The party was founded as a student-driven grassroots movement campaig ...
met to discuss potential candidates for the
next presidential election. Pavel was reported to be the most discussed candidate at the meeting.
On 6 April 2020, Pavel launched the initiative "Stronger Together", with the aim of helping people linked with the fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, especially crowdfunding financial assistance for volunteers helping in hospitals or creating medical tools. Some political commentators such as Petr Holec and Ondřej Leinert linked the initiative to Pavel's potential presidential bid, noting similarities with
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
's slogan during the
2016 United States presidential election
The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
.
On 29 June 2022, Pavel announced his intention to run in the
2023 Czech presidential election
Presidential elections will be held in the Czech Republic on 13 and 14 January 2023.
Incumbent president Miloš Zeman is not eligible to run due to the two-term limit. As was the case in the last two presidential elections, the vote will be d ...
. He said he wanted to win the election so that the Czech Republic would not have to feel embarrassed by its president. Pavel launched his official campaign on 6 September 2022, saying he wanted to "return order and peace to the Czech Republic". On 4 October 2022 he was one of three candidates endorsed by the
Spolu electoral alliance (the
Civic Democratic Party,
KDU-ČSL
KDU-ČSL (In Czech, the initials of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party; cs, Křesťanská a demokratická unie – Československá strana lidová), often shortened to ('the populars') is a Christian-democrati ...
and
TOP 09
TOP 09 (name derived from cs, Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita, lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. TOP 09 holds 14 seats in the Chamber ...
).
Personal life
Petr Pavel speaks Czech, English, French, and Russian. He is divorced and has two sons with his first wife, Hana. In the 1990s he married his second wife Eva, with whom he raised his two sons.
Before 2012, Pavel moved to
Černouček, where he has lived ever since.
Pavel has a
civilian gun license and carries a concealed firearm.
Political views
Pavel argues that rich people should pay higher taxes and supports stronger redistribution of wealth. He has cited Scandinavian countries as an inspiration. He supports same-sex marriage and adoption rights for homosexual people.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavel, Petr
1961 births
Alumni of King's College London
Commanders of the Legion of Merit
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia politicians
Czech generals
Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit
Living people
NATO officials
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
People from Planá
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Candidates in the 2023 Czech presidential election
Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) presidential candidates
KDU-ČSL presidential candidates
TOP 09 presidential candidates
Chiefs of the General Staff (Czech Republic)
Recipients of Medal of Heroism (Czech Republic)