Koudelka he mentioned the threat to Europe from Russian imperialism, sabotage or intelligence operations of Russia, China and Iran as current threats. They include enemy propaganda, migration, the threat of Islamic terrorism, the rise of right-wing extremism in particular, the illegal arms trade, cyber attacks or the possible misuse of artificial intelligence.
The current BIS was established on July 30, 1994. Koudelka told ČTK on the upcoming anniversary that the service has come a long way in three decades. “From the difficult beginnings, when we were just learning everything, through the essential help of our foreign partners with training, to the current strong, self-confident and respected intelligence service at home and abroad,” stated According to him, counterintelligence relies on highly qualified and morally strong people who work hard every day to ensure that the Czech Republic remains among the safest countries in Europe and the world.
Koudelka considers the security situation in the world to be extremely serious, according to him, it is reflected in many areas and in our country. “The world is on the boil and teetering dangerously on the brink of global conflict. In this situation, BIS will continue to do its best to contribute to the protection of the Czech Republic and its citizens. But it is not only about the security components, but about the realization of each of us that we are in danger on the same ship, in the same country,” added Koudelka.
The activity of the secret services in recent years has been largely appreciated by politicians, in April the heads of all Czech intelligence services were invited to the headquarters of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the visit of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) in the USA. After returning to the Czech Republic, Fiala told ČTK that he was satisfied with the functioning of the secret services because they were doing highly professional work.
Fiala emphasized that he also hears praise for the Czech intelligence services from foreign partners. “Today, the situation looks like that if we want to be effective in the fight against security threats, we must also cooperate within the intelligence services. Cooperation is only possible if the services trust each other, meet security standards and can exchange information without risk. Our services are of really high quality in this regard,” he added.
For example, he praised the work of the BIS in the investigation of warehouse explosions in the ammunition area in Vrbětice, in which two people died in 2014. In April, the National Center Against Organized Crime (NCOZ) confirmed the BIS information and called it proven that the explosions were carried out by members of the Russian military intelligence GRU. Because the suspects are in Russia, which refused to cooperate with the Czech police, the criminal investigators postponed the case.
On July 30, the Office for Foreign Relations and Information (ÚZSI), which is a civilian intelligence service, also commemorates its thirtieth anniversary. Both BIS and ÚZSI are among the best in Europe, according to Robert Králíček, vice-chairman of the opposition ANO and member of the parliamentary security committee. “It is appropriate that we also remember this fact on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their creation,” Králíček told ČTK.
According to Králíček, it is inherently more beneficial for the performance of secret services if the general public knows as little as possible about their activities. “In a period of relative peace, it was easier to achieve this state. Today, in the context of global events – from the war in Ukraine to the not-so-discussed in the media, but no less important events in Africa to the situation in the Middle East – it is more important than ever that our citizens have a constant feeling of security.” stated In addition to the police and the army, BIS and ÚZSI also provide them, he added.
Head of the Parliamentary Committee for BIS Control Pavel Bělobrádek (KDU-ČSL) ČTK informed that during the time that he held the position, BIS worked reliably and professionally. “She had the full respect of the best partner services abroad,” he added.
