Czechia Has Gone Nearly a Year Without a National Security Adviser — Babiš Won't Comment

The post of national security adviser to the Czech prime minister has stood vacant since August, when diplomat Hynek Kmoníček stepped down from the role he had been appointed to in January by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Babiš himself and the government office have declined to say who is now coordinating the country's security matters.

Kmoníček took up the adviser's post in January but held it only briefly — by August he had already resigned to become the Czech Republic's ambassador to the UN. The chair has been empty ever since, and the prime minister does not appear to be in any hurry to find a replacement. As far back as May, in an interview with the daily Deník, Babiš said "probably no one" would take Kmoníček's place.

A Post Enshrined in Law, Yet Empty

The role of national security adviser, who also serves as secretary of the State Security Council, has been enshrined in the Czech competency law since 2023. Under the statute, the adviser helps coordinate the activities of state bodies in the field of national security and defence and, at the government's discretion, represents Czechia in negotiations with foreign states and international organisations on security and defence matters, including obligations arising from the country's membership in international structures.

Tomáš Pojar, who served as national security adviser under the government of Petr Fiala, said Czechia is now one of the last NATO members without anyone in this role. Besides several European states, he noted, countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel also maintain national security advisers — a tried-and-tested model for coordinating policy both among allies and within governments themselves, "so that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing."

Officials Decline to Comment

The newsroom sent questions asking whether Babiš intends to reconsider his decision and who is currently responsible for coordinating security policy to the prime minister himself, Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček, government spokeswoman Karla Mráčková, and Martin Vodička, head of the government office's press department. None of them responded.

Constitutional law expert Jan Kysela believes leaving the post unfilled does not violate the law, though it is far from an ideal solution. In his view, if the prime minister has no interest in filling the position, it would make more sense to amend the competency law and remove the post from the system altogether, just as it was once written into it.

Jan Ludvík of Charles University's Centre for Security Policy noted that the situation shows national security is simply not among the priorities of the Babiš cabinet. This, he said, is "unfortunate," since the coordination of security policy plays an important role for the country as a whole.

Source: novinky.cz