The chief of staff of the Czech Republic's armed forces has been named the chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
Petr Pavel, 52, was elected to the post at a meeting of the committee in Vilnius on September 20.
Pavel is the first representative of a NATO member state from Eastern Europe to be named to the post.
Pavel said he was proud of the confidence the alliance has placed in the Czech Republic.
Pavel will take up the post in July 2015, replacing the current committee chairman, Danish General Knud Bartels.
Pavel will continue in his position as the Czech military's chief of staff until he assumes his new duties for NATO.