In the event of a military conflict in Europe, the forces of the professional army alone will not be enough, the entire society will have to be involved and "a partial mobilization of people and equipment" will have to take place, Major General Karel Rehka, chief of the Czech Army General Staff, told the ČTK news agency in an interview on Wednesday.

"If we are potentially going to be at war with anyone in the foreseeable future in a major war, other than some terrorist groups, it will be Russia," Rehka said.

In his view, if there were to be a war between NATO and Russia, for example, on the eastern flank of the alliance, outside Czech territory, it would instantly affect the Czech Republic, and the involvement of its professional army alone would not be enough. "The whole society would have to be involved, there would have to be at least a partial mobilization, both of people and material means," Rehka said.

According to the general, the conflict in Ukraine has led to a change in the mindset of Western society, which has begun to allow the possibility of war in Europe. NATO countries, including the Czech Republic, are currently reviewing their strategic documents and adjusting their defense and security strategies.

According to Rehka, the public now accepts the possibility of a prolonged military conflict over significant territory against a strong adversary. "This naturally requires a completely different approach to defense and a completely different approach to building army capabilities," the chief of the Czech General Staff emphasized.