All Quiet Again on the Border

In a short after action review, Brig.-Gen. Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Land Forces Chief, HDF Joint Force Command told us that the Hungarian Defence Forces immediately redeployed their rapid reaction forces with real equipment as part of an allied force under realistic circumstances to resolve a fictitious conflict.

“Two very positive experiences were the proper rapid response and that the Hungarian staff –which had taken part in Exercise Allied Spirit I – was able to integrate the US heavy weapons company reassigned to the infantry battle group. The troops used the standard NATO procedures, and of course, the commander of the US company understood them in no time. Throughout the exercise, our soldiers performed by the same high professional standards as their American colleagues. They are well-prepared and were able to use the skills and lessons they had learnt on the previous exercise", the brigadier-general said.

Col. Tim Manning, Chief, Office of Defence Cooperation (ODC), Embassy of the United States in Budapest told us that the troops of the two nations had opportunities to gain significant experience in realistic circumstances during the day.

The colonel said that the live firing training was a good example of the excellent Hungarian–American cooperation. In his opinion, Hungary is a strong supporter of NATO, and the member states of the Alliance need to cooperate in order to be able to work together effectively. By way of example, the colonel mentioned that the joint communications put the units under a strong pressure in real-life situations, so working on them needs to be practiced at any rate.