Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla accepted the resignation, the 34-year-old politician told a news conference. Under the constitution the final decision, however, rests with President Vaclav Klaus.

The reform of the Czech Republic's armed forces is aimed at phasing in a younger, more streamlined and more mobile professional force by 2006.

Tvrdik, who took over the defence ministry in May 2001, said the reform should be reviewed after the planned budget cuts, adding that "the reform in its initial version is not practicable."

Budget cuts decided in recent weeks will limit defence spending to 2.05 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and save about 1.2 billion eurosbillion dollars) between now and 2008. An initial draft had earmarked 2.2 percent of GDP for defence spending.

A former career soldier Tvrdik was a member of the cabinet of social democrat former prime minister Milos Zeman and was confirmed in his function in July last year in Spidla's center-left government.

Cuts in the overall budget decided in the last few weeks are to reduce the defence ministry's share to 2.05 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), saving the country some 1.2 billion euros by 2008.

An initial draft had earmarked spending of about 2.2 percent of GDP, Tvrdik said.

Under these new circumstances the army "will have to reduce further personnel numbers and the number of garrisons as well as abandoning a number of projects," he said.

"It is unacceptable to ask the armed forces to forget what has been said, " he continued. "In the future they need a stable budgetary framework which will make it possible to concentrate on a longterm vision."

WAR.WIRE