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United States and Czech Republic Sign SOFA

Prague, September 19, 2008

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Czech Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova signed in London today the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) stipulating the legal framework for the presence of U.S. personnel on Czech territory in connection with the U.S. missile defense radar facility in Brdy.  The SOFA is the second agreement that relates to the construction and operation of the facility: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg signed the Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement in Prague on July 8, 2008.

Secretary Gates and Minister Parkanova also signed the Declaration on Strategic Defense Cooperation under which a bilateral group will meet regularly to discuss and resolve strategic issues, exchange information and cooperate on research and development in the field of defense industry.

The final wording of SOFA is the result of many months of negotiations between U.S. and Czech expert teams. This is the culmination of a process that will draw our nations closer and help protect Europe from a limited missile attack. Our cooperation in the area of missile defense is not only an important step in our bilateral strategic partnership but also a substantial contribution to NATO’s collective capability to counter existing and future threats in the 21st century, and we believe it will be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defense architecture. 

Agreement between the United States of America and the Czech Republic on the Status of United States Forces Present in the Territory of the Czech Republic (PDF, 167 KB)

The Declaration on Strategic Defense Cooperation between the Czech Republic and the United States of America (PDF, 71.7 KB)