The Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law (CIHOL) at the Faculty of Law, Palacký University Olomouc, hosted its inaugural Advanced Course on the Law of Armed Conflict. The three-day course (24–26 June) is a first of its kind organised by the Centre and was primarily intended for the Land Forces of the Czech Armed Forces. Twenty military lawyers of various ranks and from different units successfully completed the course.

“The course was a joint effort by the CIHOL team, which is founded on cooperation between academics and military lawyers. It was a natural initiative that very much reflects the ‘DNA’ and purpose of our Centre,” said Martin Faix, Head of CIHOL. He added that the Centre had long been working to establish courses of this kind. One of the key factors that made the course possible was the initiative taken by the Land Forces of the Czech Armed Forces. “We are very grateful for this initiative and for the trust placed in us,” Martin Faix added.

Hosting the course builds on CIHOL’s work in legal education at the Faculty in Olomouc. A number of military lawyers in attendance are graduates of the Faculty. “I am naturally very proud of that. What pleases me even more, however, is when our graduates—and others as well—show an interest in continuing professional education, whether through courses, doctoral studies or LLM programmes,” said Martin Faix, who also serves as Vice-Dean for International Relations and Foreign-Language Study Programmes at the Faculty.

A number of experts from academia and operational practice contributed to the course. “Professor Martha M. Bradley of the University of Johannesburg, a CIHOL external expert and recognized expert in international humanitarian law, lectured on the complex subject of the classification of armed conflicts. Air Commodore (Ret.) Dr William Boothby, former Deputy Director of Legal Services of the Royal Air Force, lectured on the rules governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict,” explained Dr Petr Stejskal, a member of CIHOL and one of the course’s principal organisers. International experts were joined by Colonel Otakar Foltýn, former Chief of the Military Police, Deputy Head of the Military Office of the President of the Republic, and a member of CIHOL.

Representatives of the Centre hope that the course will mark the beginning of a new tradition. “We believe that there will also be demand for similar courses in the future. We are ready to organise them,” Martin Faix added.

CIHOL was established in 2019 as a joint undertaking between the Faculty of Law and the Czech Armed Forces. Its principal aim is to promote the active dissemination and wider understanding of the law of armed conflict and to connect the academic and military spheres against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation in Europe. Its particular focus makes it unique in Central Europe.