The Fiala government decided on Sept. 27, 2023, to acquire 24 F-35 fighters from the United States for Kč 106bn, but the official record shows that the deciding voice was that of Army Chief of Staff Karel Řehka. PM Petr Fiala said in announcing the purchase that the decision was "based on the recommendation of the army." Řehka then thanked the cabinet for its "very brave decision." In the army's 2035 development plan, which was approved by the cabinet three months later, Řehka said that defense spending of at least 2% of GDP as of 2024 provided a "predictable funding model" for meeting the military's objectives. Yet now as a newly elected STAN senator, Řehka told TV Nova that if someone says, as the Babiš government does, that we’ll be reliable allies and will meet our commitments while limiting defense spending to just 2% of GDP, they're either not aware of what they’re saying, or they’re lying. Řehka will have his international debut as a senator on Fri. at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He'll be able to take credit for buying the F-35s and to explain to his American hosts that although the payments for them consume a lot of the defense budget, that has nothing to do with why the Czechs risk becoming unreliable allies.