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Germany becomes a Special Partner Nation after ten years

Germany will take on the role of a Special Partner Nation at the 26^th NATO Days in Ostrava & the 17^th Czech Air Force Days. This was confirmed by the Ministers of Defense Jaromír Zůna and Boris Pistorius during a joint meeting in Berlin. Visitors to the event can look forward to an extensive presentation of German defense and security forces at Leoš Janáček Ostrava Airport.

Germany first became a Special Partner Nation (SPN) in 2016. At that time, eight forces or services presented their capabilities and equipment at the Mošnov airport, which set a high bar for subsequent years. It was supposed to return to the role of SPN two years ago, but the event was canceled due to floods.

"Germany is our strategic partner, including in the field of security and defense. This relationship has deepened even further in recent years. I am so pleased to be able to officially announce that Germany will take over the role of Partner Nation of the NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days in 2026," said Czech Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna.

As in previous years, visitors can expect a presentation of the air force on the ground and in the air, there will also be equipment from the ground forces, or displays of police, customs or other rescue services.

"Germany is a long-term partner and traditional participant in NATO Days, which also presents security cooperation with the Czech Republic in this way, both on a bilateral level and within international organizations. We appreciate that something of this cooperation will also be reflected in joint displays at our event,” says Zbyněk Pavlačík, chairman of the Jagello 2000 association, which organizes NATO Days. “We are still negotiating the exact scope of the German presentation, but we are pleased to announce that even after such a long time, we will be able to look forward to several very attractive premieres.”

The concept of a Special Partner Nation of NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days offers a unique presentation of a selected country, which can present its armed forces, security forces, but also products of companies operating in the defense and security industry to an extraordinary extent at the event. It also reflects in the greater participation of important guests from the country at the event – ​​politicians, senior representatives of the participating units and services, security experts and representatives of commercial companies.

The SPN was first introduced in 2014, when Poland took on this role, and in subsequent years the United States, Sweden, Slovakia and Romania also participated. Last year, Italy became a Partner Nation.

See you at
NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days 2026!