Czech Republic to deploy up to 650 Czech service members to Slovakia

The Czech Republic’s Parliament has approved a plan to deploy up to 650 Czech service members to Slovakia as part of a multinational NATO force set up in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

Parliament's lower house approved the deployment Thursday after the upper house gave the green light last week.

The United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia will also contribute troops to the unit, expected to include up to 2,100



soldiers.

The plan is part of the NATO initiative to reassure member countries on the alliance’s eastern flank.

The alliance stationed troops in the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - and Poland after the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s the Crimean Peninsula by Russia. After Russia attacked Ukraine, NATO decided to boost its presence along the entire eastern flank by deploying forces in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.