Czech military developing new warning system for faster emergency response

Czech authorities are preparing a new system designed to give the government and emergency agencies a shared picture of what is happening during a major crisis. The military says the platform will connect selected data from state systems, sensors and control centers and is expected to be operational by the end of this year.

The system could be used during a wide range of emergencies, helping authorities coordinate information without relying on the phone calls and spreadsheets currently used to assemble a picture of a developing situation.

It will also include tools for detecting drones and a new way of sending targeted warnings directly to people's mobile phones.

The National Defence Security Information System (IS ZOS) is being developed by the Czech army's communications forces. Representatives of 37 ministries, government offices, regional authorities and other organizations met last week at the University of Defence in Brno to begin coordinating work on the project.

The platform will bring together selected information from government systems, registries, sensors and control centers, along with relevant sources from NATO and the European Union.

It is intended to build on the experience of the Smart Quarantine system used during the Covid pandemic to track hospital capacity and humanitarian assistance.

Petr Šnajdárek, director of the Defence Ministry's communications and information systems division, said the system will not replace existing databases or emergency services. Data will remain with the organizations that own it, with only agreed information shared for crisis management and access controlled according to users' roles.

Rather than being housed on a single computer or server, IS ZOS will operate as a resilient network designed to continue functioning if parts of the infrastructure fail. The system will generate a shared situational overview and reports for the institutions involved in managing a crisis.

An anti-drone module will form another part of the system. The military is building a network of sensors capable of detecting unmanned aircraft that transmit identification signals, with information collected so far showing how frequently airspace rules are being violated, Šnajdárek said.

The system will also bring a major change to how people in Czechia can be warned about emergencies. The planned Cell Broadcast system would send a specific message to mobile phones within a precisely defined area, potentially reaching people within minutes.

Unlike traditional sirens, which primarily alert residents that something is wrong, Cell Broadcast messages can explain what is happening and what people should do. The system is overseen by the General Directorate of the Fire Rescue Service in cooperation with the Defence Ministry, which is contributing both funding and technical input.

The broader project was approved by the government in a resolution that gives the Defence Ministry responsibility for its implementation by Dec. 31, 2028. The military said the platform will operate within existing Czech law and will not give any government body new powers.