NRDC-ITA Commander Visits Hungary

Lt.-Gen. Giorgio Battisti, the commander of NRDC-ITA was accompanied by Maj.-Gen. László Domján to Hódmezővásárhely, where Col. József Kovács, the deputy commander of the HDF 5th ‘Bocskai István’ Infantry Brigade received the guests. They first went to see the military equipment in service with the unit on a static display. In what followed, they were introduced to the tactical capabilities of the battalion which is training for a NATO CREVAL (Combat Readiness Evaluation of Land Headquarters and Units) procedure.

Lt.-Gen. Giorgio Battisti told us that the NRDC-ITA is made up of troops from 15 nations. It is based close to Milan and operates in the direct subordination of the NATO HQ. Italy provides 70% of personnel, and the remaining 30% are made up of officers and NCOs from other troop contributing nations. The mission of the NRDC-ITA is to assist and support the activity of military forces deployed in conventional NATO operations and the contingents serving in peacekeeping missions.

The aim of the lieutenant-general’s visit to Hungary was to get to know the soldiers of the unit declared to NRDC-ITA and to gain first-hand experience of their capabilities. The general stressed that he was satisfied with the Hungarian troops’ readiness level and professionalism.

Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) told us that the June 12 discussions in Székesfehérvár focused on the further tasks of cooperation and the things that need to be done jointly, as required by the expected reform of the NATO Command Structure.

Based on what he has just seen, the commander of the HDF JFC is certain that the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the HDF 5th ‘Bocskai István’ Infantry Brigade will be able to meet the requirements of the NATO CREVAL procedure.