ABSTRACT
Small arms-producing countries on the global market and especially within NATO and the EU offer important insights into the selection of viable defense-industrial strategies. In two separate eras, Czechoslovakia was among the top three (1920s) or top ten (1980s) largest arms producers in the world. As successor states, the Czech and Slovak Republics have approached the transformation of their defense industrial sectors in dissimilar fashions, leading both through two extremely turbulent decades. The past few years have witnessed a renewed dedication of both countries to the defense sector. This article offers a comparative study of state policy developments in support of the sector, procurement practices, cooperation, and export considerations, relating said aspects to foreign policy. Special attention is dedicated to collaboration initiatives and the maneuvering of both countries within the bilateral, regional, European, and global defense economies.
