The engineer troops are working with outdated and malfunctioning equipment, pontoon bridges cannot support new tanks, but the MoD has postponed most investments in modernisation
PRESS RELEASE ON AUDIT NO 23/08 – 15 April 2024
The engineer troops play an irreplaceable role in the combat support of the Czech Armed Forces. However, some of their equipment is obsolete, long past its service life, malfunctioning or lacks the required technical parameters. For example, the pontoon bridge sets used today cannot carry the newly acquired tanks. However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has postponed or cancelled most of the planned investment projects. This is despite the fact that a total of CZK 3.5 billion was available from the state budget for the renewal and modernisation of the equipment of the engineer troops in the period 2010 to 2022. In these twelve years, the MoD has spent only nine percent of this amount - less than CZK 314 million. This was revealed by a Supreme Audit Office (SAO) audit completed this January.
The modernisation of pontoon bridge sets also remained among the postponed investments. Yet these are crucial for ensuring troop mobility. For example, the engineer troops are currently unable to move newly acquired tanks over water obstacles. While tanks have a combat weight of 63 to 67 tonnes, the carrying capacity of pontoon bridge sets is only up to 60 tonnes and bridge cars only up to 50 tonnes. Moreover, the latter are malfunctioning: at the time of the SAO audit, eight out of ten were classified as temporarily unserviceable assets requiring repair. In addition, all ten bridge cars were 21 to 29 years beyond their service life. Their average age is 45 years. The MoD had planned to acquire 12 new bridge cars between 2020 and 2022, but eventually postponed the plan to 2025 to 2027.
The SAO auditors found that the pontoon bridge sets also have a significantly exceeded service life. At the time of the SAO's audit, three of these sets were 10 to 11 years past their useful lifespan and their average age was 35 years.
Of the 15 main projects to maintain and develop the capabilities of the engineer troops for a total of CZK 2.5 billion (allocated for 2019 to 2023), the MoD had implemented only two projects for a total of CZK 74 million (2.9%) by the end of the SAO audit, but even these were only partially completed. Within these two projects, the MoD purchased only seven of the planned 38 explosive ordnance disposal robots. The other 13 projects were not implemented by the MoD. In addition to the aforementioned pontoon bridge sets and bridge cars, it did not purchase, for example, vehicles with ballistic protection, excavator-loaders, wheeled loaders or engineer shelters. The impact of the failure to modernise equipment also brings limits to meeting NATO's capability development objectives.
The engineer troops also play an important role in peacetime conditions during accidents and natural disasters. For example, during the floods in 2009, 2010 and 2013, engineers played a significant role in the flood recovery and the construction of temporary bridges. However, by postponing or cancelling planned investment projects, the MoD has also negatively affected the ability of the engineer troops to carry out rescue and recovery work during disasters and emergencies. At the time of the SAO audit, more than two-thirds of the equipment allocated to the integrated rescue system had exceeded its useful lifespan and more than one-fifth of this equipment was temporarily unusable.
During the audit of selected investment projects, the SAO auditors found facts indicating a breach of budgetary discipline in the amount of CZK 7.3 million. In the public contract for the purchase of two road rollers, the MoD set such technical parameters that unreasonably guaranteed a competitive advantage to a single supplier.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office