I was happy to learn that General František Ridzák will command EU units in Mali. I always thought of him as a general who thinks all assigned tasks through and completes them, assuming full accountability.
In addition, it has been a long time since a Czech general commanded international units at the site of deployment. He will certainly feel at ease because he speaks French: we both studied at the military school in Paris. All military operations abroad are difficult, and they are all different. There are many factors such as the level of security, climatic conditions, local customs, logistic supplies and many others that come into play and none of them should be underestimated. It will definitely be a great experience for General Ridzák and other mission members. When I served as the Chief of the General Staff, I had the opportunity to visit our soldiers in Bamako and later in Koulikoro and I was very proud of them. Fingers crossed, guys!