End of Exercise Blonde Avalanche 2016

During the exercise – which was organized with the participation of observers from Austria, Serbia as well as the Alabama, Indiana and Ohio National Guards – Deputy Chief of Defence Lt.-Gen. Dr. Zoltán Orosz told us that the multinational battalion and the Hungarian, Ukrainian, Slovakian and Romanian troops in it have been cooperating for 14 years.

This year, the lead nation was Romania, so Romanian personnel and military assets participated in the largest numbers on the training, which also included a command post exercise (CPX).

This year, the participants simulated a flood disaster situation, in which every nation demonstrated primarily their own military engineer capabilities, but the emphasis was on collective work. “It is important for all participating nations to develop this cooperation and show it to our environment, and to be able to radiate trust for our own citizens, to make them aware that there is a military capability that is always available in emergencies", the lieutenant-general said. He added that currently the participating nations are considering the possibility of extending the scope of the battalion to the Danube valley, which may involve Austria and Serbia too.

Lt.-Gen. Zoltán Orosz noted that Hungary is represented in the battalion by the soldiers of the Operations Support Engineer Battalion and Combat Support Engineer Company of the HDF 5th Bocskai István Infantry Brigade, who have extensive experience in the field of disaster management. Speaking of the military vehicles featuring on the exercise, the lieutenant-general pointed out the significance of a Romanian-made low-water bridge, but the participants could see special water purification equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well.

Photo: Tünde Rácz