The V4 states will buy ammunition together

Czech MoD’s press release

The member states of the Visegrad Group – the Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary – signed an agreement on the joint purchase of ammunition on 28 January 2021.

The signing of the so-called “Letter of Intent” (LOI), signed by the national armaments directors of the V4 countries, was preceded by several months of intensive work by employees of the Armaments and Acquisitions Section of the Ministry of Defense and the Czech Armed Forces Logistics. This document was signed on behalf of the Czech side by Deputy Minister of Defense Lubor Koudelka.

The original intention to purchase ammunition together was presented by the Minister of Defense Lubomír Metnar during the Czech Presidency of the V4 at the NATO Days in September 2019. “We refrained from exaggerated ambitions and plans. We want to start with something real, and that is the joint purchase of ammunition, “said Minister Metnar at the time. During the Czech Presidency, the plan took concrete form and a joint project was created. This project should serve as a springboard for future more demanding armaments projects within the V4 group. The Czechia is leading the project even after the presidency handed over the presidency to Poland in the summer of 2020.

In the text of the signed document itself, the V4 countries express their intention to purchase ammunition together. This purchase will take place through the Alliance’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The next step after the signing of the LoI will be to send an official request for cooperation to the NSPA agency via the so-called Tasking Letter and then send ammunition orders to individual members of the V4 group.

Four Central European countries have agreed to jointly purchase 9×19 FX Marking Cartridge Red and 9×19 FX Marking Cartridge Blue small arms ammunition. It is a training ammunition that is non-toxic, usable in any environment and in any type of training.

In total, the V4 states want to acquire over 300,000 pieces of this ammunition. The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic expects to purchase 10,000 pieces of each type as part of a joint purchase.