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At Monday's meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, the Czech Republic offered to send a special unit to Afghanistan to join the International Security Assistance Force and the US-led operation Enduring Freedom. The offer is expected to be approved by the cabinet by the end of the year, to be then submitted to both houses of parliament in January.

The Slavkov battlefield in south Moravia - better known by its German name, Austerlitz - was the scene of the Battle of Three Emperors in 1805, in which Napoleon Bonaparte won his most famous victory by destroying the armies of Russia and Austria, despite having fewer soldiers. Now, almost 200 years later, the Czech Defence Ministry wants to build a NATO radar station on the historic site. Not surprisingly, perhaps, people in the area are up in arms. I discussed local objections with Miroslav Jandora from the organisation Austerlitz 2005.

This weekend, Prague hosts a number of international conferences bringing together important personalities and world thinkers to discuss and find ways of approaching important world issues. One such conference begins on Friday. Organised by Senate Deputy-Chairman Jan Ruml and PASS - the Programme of Atlantic Security Studies, it focuses on NATO's future role in the Middle East. Czech Senator Michael Zantovsky explains why:

NATO has formally launched its rapid response force, which includes the Czech Republic's elite nuclear, biological and chemical unit. The 9,000-strong NATO Response Force (NRF) will be capable of deployment to troublespots anywhere in the world within five days. When complete, the force should number more than 20,000 troops. Among them is the 500-strong Czech-led anti-chemical unit based in Liberec, which saw action in the 1991 Gulf War and the US-led invasion of Iraq. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999.

A senior member of the U.S. military - vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace - visited Prague this week, for talks with Czech colleagues that covered Afghanistan, Iraq and reform of the Czech armed forces. General Pace had warm words of praise for his Czech hosts, particularly for the reputation of Czech peace-keeping operations around the world.

The NATO command team, which is expected to take over control of ISAF forces in Afghanistan from Germany and the Netherlands on August 11, will have four Czech members. According to Czech deputy chief of staff Jaroslav Kolkus, the Czech Army is also preparing several more commanders, should they be asked to join the team. During a trip to Prague on Monday, the deputy chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff, General Peter Pace, said that the role of Czech troops in international operations such as in Bosnia, Kosovo, as well as Afghanistan, was indispensable. General Pace also discussed cooperation with NATO, the planned reform of the Czech Army and the involvement of Czech soldiers in peace-keeping operations.

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has criticised European members of the alliance for failing to devote enough resources to defence spending. In a commentary to appear in the German Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday, Robertson said it was wrong for European nations in NATO to accuse the United States of taking unilateral action if they are unable to improve their military capabilities. Despite there being a lot of talk about modernising, governments are buttoned up when it comes time to pay, he said. As a result, the trans-Atlantic capabilities gap is growing larger and larger. One such example is that the United States has over 200 strategic transport aircraft, while Europe has four. The Czech Republic has been a NATO member since March 12 1999. A new government plan to decrease the state budget deficit has significantly reduced the defence ministry's budget, leading to the resignation of Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik.

Attending a NATO Parliament conference in Prague, NATO Secretary General George Robertson said that the EU's emerging defense force and NATO will be "two sides of the same coin" with "no inconsistency". One example, he said was a Czech bio-chemical warfare detection battalion which had been requested last week by NATO and the United States and which would also be able to accept EU defense assignments. Many units would be complementary since the EU and NATO would not necessarily need them at the same time, Mr. Robertson said, addressing the question of how EU states could finance two defense structures.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Prague has said the U.N. should play an important role in the reconstruction of Iraq. Members of the Assembly, representing the 19 NATO countries, said a new U.N. Security Council resolution would help stabilise the country. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, and last year hosted the first ever NATO summit to be held in the former Soviet bloc.

Members of the NATO Russia Permanent Joint Council have begun meeting in Prague. The meeting is part of the spring session of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly, which represents the Alliance's 19 members. NATO members are in Prague for talks expected to be dominated by the recent conflict in Iraq. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, and last year hosted the first ever NATO summit to be held in the former Soviet bloc.