Jakub Landovský becomes head of Czech defence policy, stays NATO envoy

Jakub Landovský, the government’s envoy responsible for fulfilling NATO commitments, has been selected as the senior director of the defence policy and strategy section at the Czech Ministry of Defence. He is slated to assume the post by the end of June and will retain his NATO envoy position, creating a dual role that he says is essential for coordinating defence spending and planning.

Landovský indicated he will need to upgrade his security clearance from the secret to the strictly secret level before taking office. He stressed that having one person oversee both the ministry’s defence budget and the NATO liaison will help the Czech Republic meet NATO’s 2% of GDP defence‑spending target, which he believes could be achieved as early as next year. The current government, however, has warned that the target may not be met this year.

The appointment follows the forced departure of former director Jiří Šedivý, who left after political pressure. Landovský previously served as deputy head of the same section from 2015 to 2019 and later acted as the Czech ambassador to NATO.