Quality of life issues such as pay and housing have not markedly improved over the last few years. Legislation to correct a top heavy officer corps structure is still pending in the Parliament as frustrated junior officers continue their exodus from the service. The Czechs have not yet implemented a career concept for ACR professionals that would outline standard career progression steps for officers and NCOs. Czech models of officership and leadership remain virtually unchanged from the Soviet era in that leadership is not a focus of officer development and initiative is still lacking in the junior ranks. While some progress has been made on the development of a NCO corps, these Warrant Officers are valued more for their technical skills.
Officers still refuse to delegate significant leadership responsibility to junior officers and NCOs.
Lack of resources has prevented much reform in the military education system which continues to be dominated by faculty from the communist era largely disinterested in adapting teaching strategies to help transform the ACR s officer corps so that it is intellectually compatible with NATO militaries. At the beginning of the democratization process, most analysts predicted that once post-communist governments understood the necessary technical reforms necessary to transform their political system, elected democratic officials and civil servants could subsequently move to carry out the necessary reforms. In practice, however, the legacy of the communist era has proven remarkably overbearing in terms of the adaptation of formal and informal relationships among government bureaucrats, politicians, and military officers. The obligations of membership require the ability to fully participate in the consultation process within NATO, to contribute to the collective defense mission, NATO s new evolving missions, and alliance budgets. In addition, membership obligations include conforming to alliance principles, policies, and procedures.