The Czech Ministry of Defense is preparing a major reorganization aimed at simplifying the ministry’s management, increasing the efficiency of public administration, and strengthening support for the Czech defense industry. One of the key changes will be the dissolution of the Ministry of Defense’s Industrial Cooperation Section and the transfer of some of its responsibilities to the Agency for Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation, known by the acronym AMOS. AMOS is set to become the ministry’s key instrument for supporting domestic companies, developing international defense cooperation, and executing intergovernmental contracts.

According to AMOS Director Aleš Vytečka, the agency’s fundamental role remains unchanged; on the contrary, it is to be strengthened. He notes that AMOS was established in 2021 as a state instrument to support defense cooperation and the domestic defense industry at the government-to-government level. The agency reports directly to the Minister of Defense to ensure that its activities align with the government’s security and foreign policy priorities.

According to Vytečka, the ministry’s new leadership has expressed an interest in strengthening the G2G cooperation framework – that is, intergovernmental defense cooperation. In this context, AMOS is preparing a proposal for legislative reinforcement. One source of inspiration is Israel’s SIBAT, which is an integral part of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and serves as a powerful state instrument for supporting defense-industrial cooperation.

Vytečka emphasizes that the importance of such a mechanism is growing in light of the current security situation. This is not only due to the war in Ukraine, but also to instability in the Middle East and the Sahel region, tensions regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the spread of transnational organized crime. According to him, countries must therefore strengthen their defense and security cooperation mechanisms with selected foreign partners. Similar G2G mechanisms are in place in the United States, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.

According to Vytečka, the Czech Republic has significantly strengthened its role as a producer of military equipment over the past four years, primarily thanks to deliveries to Ukraine financed by international partners. This has dramatically increased the export potential of Czech defense companies. Once the conflict in Ukraine ends, he says, it will be important to capitalize on this potential. The Czech defense industry offers products that have received positive feedback from the Ukrainian battlefield – assault rifles, artillery systems and ammunition, electronic warfare systems, passive tracking systems, UAV and C-UAV solutions, and aircraft.

According to Vytečka, AMOS should not be focused solely on the ammunition initiative and support for Ukraine. The agency has also been engaged in intergovernmental defense cooperation in recent years, even as military aid to Ukraine dominated public attention. For example, it has cooperated with North Macedonia, Ghana, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uruguay, and an intergovernmental agreement has recently been signed with Montenegro.

In the short term, AMOS will continue to be heavily engaged in providing international aid to Ukraine, primarily through the ammunition initiative funded by foreign partners. At the same time, however, according to Vytečka, the agency is already looking beyond the war and exploring how to leverage the government’s experience and the enhanced capabilities of the Czech defense industry for the future.

A significant part of the interview focuses on the transparency of the ammunition initiative. Vytečka emphasizes that the initiative has been designed from the outset to be as transparent as possible toward donor countries. The Czech Republic acts as an intermediary in the purchase of ammunition, which a specific Western ally selects from blind list. The donor country’s Ministry of Defense chooses the type, quantity, price, and supplier, and then tasks the Czech Republic with procuring the ammunition.

According to Vytečka, each donor has its own control and audit mechanisms. The Ministry of Defense reports on an ongoing basis to individual donors as well as to the NATO Security Assistance Training Ukraine coordination center, which is led by a U.S. general. Reporting takes place on a weekly basis. Each donor is therefore informed if a partial shipment of ammunition or other military equipment it has funded was delivered during the previous week.

In addition, there are internal control mechanisms. A supervisory commission has been established, whose members include the intelligence services, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The commission meets four times a year, and AMOS reports on its activities to it. There is also an interministerial working group for intergovernmental defense cooperation, in which the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Finance are represented. Information has also been repeatedly provided to the government, the Chamber of Deputies’ Defense Committee, and the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security.

The shipments themselves are inspected as part of customs procedures, and companies are required to submit regular reports, including photographic documentation. Vytečka states that since the start of Russian invasion, 4.8 million rounds of ammunition have been delivered via the Czech Republic, and, according to him, the Ukrainian side has never filed a complaint regarding any of the ammunition.

Vytečka considers the pressure on the ammunition initiative to be legitimate. According to him, the Czech Republic is facilitating the delivery of large quantities of ammunition and other equipment using funds from Western allies, and is therefore accountable not only to Ukraine but also to taxpayers in the donor countries. He points to the fact that, over the past four years, the allies have entrusted the Czech Republic with billions of euros and, according to him, have not lost a single euro, as proof that the established system works.

Vytečka views the continuation of the ammunition initiative under the same framework as a commitment. He notes that the trust of the prime minister, the defense minister, and foreign partners cannot be taken for granted and must be continually reaffirmed through transparent actions. According to Vytečka, the defense minister is briefed weekly on projects under consideration and discussion.

He notes that the trust of foreign partners has not been affected by political debates; on the contrary, it remains strong. Donor countries continue to cooperate with the Czech Republic and discuss new projects. The scope of these projects depends on domestic political cycles, financial capabilities, and, above all, Ukraine’s current needs. Since the second half of last year, Vytečka has identified three main priorities: air defense, the production of drones and C-UAV systems, and the supply of 155-mm large-caliber ammunition with extended range.

According to Vytečka, 155 mm ammunition remains crucial. The Czech Republic currently supplies approximately half of all large-caliber ammunition destined for Ukraine. He believes that if this effort were interrupted or significantly slowed down, the Ukrainian army would feel the impact on the battlefield almost immediately.

However, the situation on the ammunition market has changed. Since the second half of 2025, due to the so-called “kill zone” – a zone of approximately 20 kilometers dominated by FPV drones – Ukraine’s need for 155 mm ammunition with a range of 24 kilometers or more has increased significantly. This type of ammunition is more difficult to procure, and rounds with the longest range – around 38 kilometers – are roughly twice as expensive as standard rounds with a range of 18 kilometers. Special bi-modular propellant charges are a particular bottleneck.

According to Vytečka, the positive aspect is that Czech and European suppliers – specifically STV Group and Czechoslovak Group – have been able to respond quickly and are expanding their capacity to produce 155 mm ammunition with extended range directly in the Czech Republic and within the European Union, respectively. Other Czech companies involved in the ammunition initiative are leveraging their business contacts, which Vytečka describes as a unique strength of Czech industry.

He considers the greatest success of the ammunition initiative to be the creation of a functional mechanism for stable and robust supplies of a severely scarce material. Donors’ confidence in the system made it possible to secure the necessary funding and create a situation in which a single country facilitates the delivery of half of the ammunition for the Ukrainian army. The biggest problem remains the persistent lack of funding, given the scale and cost of the supplied materials.

Vytečka rejects the notion that the attention paid to the ammunition initiative has overshadowed other AMOS projects. According to him, the agency continues to work with foreign partners and support the domestic defense industry. In the area of the European defense industry, he views the response to technological advancements positively. He notes that in a number of countries, concrete projects are underway to transfer production from Ukraine to NATO and EU partner countries. Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway are playing significant roles in this process.

According to Vytečka, through deliveries to Ukraine, both Czech and European companies are gaining key insights for further development in the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), air defense, and electronic warfare. AMOS collaborates with most Czech companies operating in the fields of UAVs, air defense, counter-UAV (C-UAV), and electronic warfare. It is now also focusing on facilitating the transfer of know-how from Ukraine to the Czech Republic.

According to Vytečka, the goal of NATO and EU allies going forward should be to create a dense network of commercial partnerships between European and Ukrainian companies across Europe. Such a network is intended to enable rapid adaptation to technological developments, increase the modularity and scalability of production, and strengthen the defense capabilities of member states.

Within the next two to three years, Vytečka would like to transform AMOS into a modern tool for supporting defense-industrial cooperation at the government-to-government level. According to him, the Czech Republic should, through the Ministry of Defense, establish a robust system similar to Israel’s SIBAT, which will provide long-term support for the country’s security interests, the domestic defense industry, and cooperation with allies and partners.