Milán Václavík

Václavík was born in Predmier, Zilina district in Slovakia, on 28 March 1928.[1][2] He held an engineering degree.[1] In the 1950s he was sent to the Soviet Union for military training and attended the Frunze Military Academy and the General Staff Academy.[1]

Václavík worked as an engineer until 1949 when he joined the Czechoslovak People's Army.[1] In the 1970s he served as deputy commander of the western military district.[1] He was later promoted to the rank of colonel general.[3] He served as first deputy chief of the army General Staff from 1983 to 11 January 1985.[1][4]

He was appointed defence minister on 11 January 1985, replacing Martin Dzúr in the post.[4][5] Václavík served in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Lubomír Štrougal under the president of Gustáv Husák.[6] Václavík became a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia soon after his appointment.[7] He retained his post in the cabinet formed by Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec in October 1988.[8]

On 29 November 1989 Václavík was asked by the Federal Assembly to answer the question to whom the Czechoslovak People's Army was subordinated.[3] In response Václavík stated that it was subordinated to those who supported socialism, leading to concerns among the Czech parliamentarians.[3] Upon this incident and due to the pressures on the Prime Minister Adamec to relieve him from the post he was removed from office.[3][9] Then Miroslav Vacek became the new defense minister on 3 December 1989.[10][11]

Following his removal from office Václavík lost all his credibility due to his support for the continuation of the communist regime in the country.[12] He was prosecuted in January 1996 together with other major former Communist Party figures. All of them were charged with the illegal arming of the militia.[13][14] In September 1996 Václavík was pardoned by the president Václav Havel because of poor health.[13][14] Václavík died in 2007.[10]