Fifteen years of preparation tops off. The Czech Army Force is launching a gear e-shop. Soldiers have finally lived to see an ordering system offering to order gear parts, clothes and shoes. Quite a common thing in an ordinary civil life is what our soldiers had to wait for several years in the army.

“Once the ordering system works, it will be great savings of time for soldiers. As these days, to visit the gear store takes them often the whole day on the bus and in the store,” said to Právo colonel Martin Štorchl, CAF Logistics Agency deputy director, during his visit to the gear store in Karlín in Prague.

Picture: Soldiers have finally lived to see an ordering system offering to order gear parts, clothes and shoes, (illustrative picture). | army.cz

The present common practice has been quite dismal. A soldier had to travel personally into one of four gear stores in Tábor, Praha, Brno or Vyškov, to get the gear. There he was entitled to exchange his points for needed gear. Provided that it was in stock, of course, and it was his turn. According to the information we got, a soldier was quite regularly either not served even after the whole day or he didn´t get what he needed (intentionally we write needed, not wanted). " I will probably have ten ties and give them to my friends as a present from a gear store. I came here to get a blouse, but it was not in stock," one soldier described his indignation from cheerless situation at Facebook.

Picture: According to the information we got, a soldier was quite regularly either not served even after the whole day or he didn´t get what he needed (illustrative picture) | author´s archive

The testing operation of the Gear-ordering system was confirmed also by major general Štefan Muránský particularizing that at first only the soldiers of Žatec, Prague and Stará Boleslav garrisons will be allowed to order. In such way they will test the whole system operability, check capability of deliveries and correct login out, including gear points write-off. The testing will be under way for the whole next year and, allegedly, also other garrisons shall get to know the system during 2020.

Picture: Many critics appealed against senseless delays regarding the official army e-shop launching. The have mentioned as an example many private army shops where on-line systems work flawless even in busy periods, real stock availability is displayed etc. | author´s archive

Many critics appealed against senseless delays regarding the official army e-shop launching. The have mentioned as an example many private army shops where on-line systems work flawless even in busy periods, real stock availability is displayed etc. The Army will not use any public-accessible shopping platform. They have developed their own system as the Gear-ordering system will be operated at internal intranet platform, so called ŠIS (Staff information system). The Army IT specialists are the system authors. No doubts of their capabilities, yet the soldiers themselves are not sure whether it will be possible to order a needed gear via the system and whether the present store availability will be displayed correct to them. However, this is much more a matter of the army purchasing and acquisition as such and our soldiers will know soon whether the new on-line Gear-ordering-system will break the logjam.