Prior to this, he held the position of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, and served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces between 2012 and 2015.

Following the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and the subsequent dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Pavel served in the newly established Czech Army and participated in the 1993 evacuation of Karin Base during the Croatian War of Independence, which earned him praise and international recognition.

At NATO, he oversaw the Alliance's response and fallout of the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and the 2018 Turkish invasion of Afrin, as well as efforts to tackle rising Chinese influence.

He ran on a platform of closer cooperation with NATO allies, support for Ukraine and greater involvement in the European Union.

In his first hundred days in office, Pavel appointed three judges to the Constitutional Court and made 11 international trips, including a visit to Kyiv and Dnipro, becoming the first foreign head of state to travel to Eastern Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

He continued his studies at the Military University of the Ground Forces in Vyškov, graduating in 1983 and subsequently joining the Czechoslovak Army as a paratrooper, serving as a platoon leader.

He later cooperated with dissidents such as Luboš Dobrovský and Radovan Procházka [cs][2][3] and referred to his membership in the Communist Party as a mistake, which he atoned for by serving the democratic cause.

In January 1993, his unit was sent as part of the evacuation of Karin Base, a French military post under siege by Serbian troops.

During the two-hour journey, his unit faced various obstacles that slowed down the operation, including fallen trees which soldiers had to remove from the road while under mortar fire.

In 2003, he served as the National Military Representative at the United States Central Command at Operation Enduring Freedom headquarters in Tampa.

[15][16] Pavel served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic from July 2011 to June 2012.

[17] Already a general of the army, Pavel was nominated by the Cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka as Chair of the NATO Military Committee in July 2014, and elected to this position in Vilnius in September 2014, beating candidates from Italy and Greece.

The Islamic State (ISIS) experienced both territorial gains and losses in Iraq and Syria, while NATO's involvement in Afghanistan continued.

[24] In 2019, Pavel co-founded the association 'Pro bezpečnou budoucnost' ("For a safe future"), together with diplomat Petr Kolář, entrepreneur František Vrabel, and manager Radek Hokovský.

[33] Pavel launched his official campaign on 6 September 2022, saying he wanted to "return order and peace to the Czech Republic",[34] running on a pro-Western,[35] pro-European,[36] and anti-populist platform,[37] the views he advocated for throughout his senior military management career.

[44] He also had a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in the first days after the election to reaffirm the closer diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and Taiwan, triggering criticism from China.

[50] In his inaugural address, he emphasized dignity, respect and decency, and stated that he would like to participate in the creation of a common vision for the Czech Republic.

[51] His first presidential trip led to Slovakia where he met President Zuzana Čaputová, Prime Minister Eduard Heger, and Speaker of National Council Boris Kollár.

In April 2023, he was the first foreign president to visit eastern Ukraine since the war began, offering Czech support in the reconstruction of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

[58] In June 2023, in an interview for Radio Free Europe, Pavel spoke in favor of enhanced surveillance of all Russian citizens living in the West.

[60][61][62] Pavel later clarified that he was talking about necessary security measures to prevent attacks like the 2014 Vrbětice ammunition warehouses explosions and the spread of Russian propaganda, not surveillance on an individual level, and that he did not approve of the treatment of Japanese Americans.

[64] In 2023, Pavel delivered speeches at, among others, the 4th Council of Europe Summit, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, the Climate Ambition Summit, the UN Security Council and the European Parliament, calling for a fight against populism, for explaining to citizens the principles on which Europe stands, for resisting war fatigue and making no concessions to Russia.

[68] Pavel holds Atlanticist and pro-Western views[69] and advocates active Czech membership in the European Union and NATO.

[70] As Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in 2018, Pavel said of the Turkish invasion of Afrin: "Turkey is a target of terrorism and has the right to defend itself.

[75] Pavel supported Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion, which he described as a "war against the system of international relations", calling for military and humanitarian aid.

He argued that following the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the control of parts of the Donbas by Russian-backed separatists, the West should have established protected corridors for civilians enforced by the OSCE.

"[80][81]In an August 2024 interview with Darius Rochebin in Paris, Pavel repeatedly stressed that the Charter of the United Nations gives states the right of self-defence, and furthermore that this right is unconditional.

[87] After his election as Chair of the NATO Military Committee in 2014, Pavel criticised political correctness, arguing that it creates an environment in which those in charge are told only what they want to hear.

He said that during his tenure as Chair of the NATO Military Committee he saw many Chiefs of General Staff who were unable to call problems by their right name due to political correctness.

[90] He discussed political support from Spolu during the early stages of his presidential bid, eventually stating that he did not want to be its nominee, but would welcome its endorsement.