The Czech position on national security and defence is characterised by a certain duality. On the one hand, there is a slowly increasing openness to deepening defence cooperation within the EU and on the other hand, the strong anchoring in NATO and relations with the U.S. continues to be seen as central to the country’s needs, especially by the right wing of the political spectrum. Czech governments have long relied on NATO as the fundamental pillar of national security and all key strategic documents declare that European projects should complement and not replace the Alliance. The EU is seen more as a tool for streamlining procurement and strengthening the industry than as an independent security guarantor. The 2023 defence agreement with the U.S. and purchasing state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets together with other military equipment show that successive Czech governments are consciously aiming to become part of the American ecosystem, not only by investing in U.S. weapons, but also through interoperability and access to the latest technologies. In the Czech political environment, there is a relatively broad, albeit recently narrowing, consensus based on historically strong transatlanticism and distrust towards the EU in security matters. Even though Europe must become more capable of action, the American presence remains a key security safeguard. That is why Czech diplomacy repeatedly emphasises the need to “keep the US at the table” while stressing that Europe must be prepared to cover any shortfall in the event of weakening by America’s leadership, especially regarding the war in Ukraine. At the same time, though, increased focus on defence raises serious concerns about socio-economic impacts. As to threat perception according to the traffic light system, Czechia can be classified between the ‘yellow’ (direct attack) and ‘red’ (hybrid attacks) levels in the traffic light system, indicating a relatively high degree of risk.