CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND ITS ARMY IN A BUFFER ZONE OF “EAST-WEST” (PERIOD: 1960 – 1968-AUGUST)

The study deals with the issue associated with the so-called “Cold War” and the escalation of tension between the “East” and the “West”. This historical period was specifically affected by the consequences of the so-called "Cuban” and the so-called “Berlin” crisis. In the context of the above, there is an interesting geopolitical and, in particular, geostrategic aspect of the former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ČSSR) in the so-called “buffer zone” between the mentioned powers blocks. The study also focuses on the role and importance of the former Czechoslovak People's Army (ČSĽA) in military strategists’ plans of the Warsaw Treaty. The application of these plans had negative consequences not only for the army as a whole but also for the entire society. During the first half of the 1960s, the Ministry of Defence of the ČSSR and the General Staff of the ČSĽA were often forced to reorganize and re-dislocate the motor rifle and tank divisions. These were concentrated in particular on detaining the supposed NATO attack from the west and especially from the southwest. At the same time, they were prepared to attack an ideological enemy. The fulfilment of the Warsaw Pact command sought extraordinarily high financial costs for the modernization and arming of high readiness combat units. The political centre of power inadequately interfered with this demanding process in the form of directives.