An Example Of Cooperation: The 7th PRT Rotation Has Returned

Following the reception of the unit colours and the national anthem, Colonel László Szabó, the commander of the 7th rotation of the Provincial Reconstruction Team serving in Afghanistan, reported to Defence Minister Dr. Imre Szekeres, then the event continued with the presentation of recognitions, where the importance of the work of First Lieutenant Dr. Éva Zsíros, who received a recognition at the central ceremony held last week, was also emphasized.

The troops who have completed their tour of duty abroad in various positions in the PRT and the ISAF were awarded Service Medals ‘For Peacekeeping’ by Defence Minister Dr. Imre Szekeres, General László Tömböl, Chief of Defence Staff, MoD, Lieutenant General Tibor Benkõ, Commander, Joint Forces Command, Major General József Kovács, Deputy Commander, Joint Forces Command, and Brigadier General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Commander, HDF 5th ‘István Bocskai’ Infantry Brigade. Dr. Marianna Csorbáné Tóth, the flag patron, who has undertaken to be the spiritual patron for personnel serving in Afghanistan, and the Croatian members of the contingent were also present at the event.

Mayor Dr. János Lázár, the chairman of the Defence and Internal Security Committee said in his address: the soldiers who have returned had prepared well for the mission. "The Members of Parliament of the Hungarian National Assembly, the Defence and Internal Security Committee have paid special attention to monitor the preparation since the first Afghanistan mission. When the Provincial Reconstruction Team was attacked on February 7 while they were carrying out a task in their area of responsibility, the whole country was very concerned and followed the reports. I am glad that Captain László Lengyel and Private First Class Árpád Ferenc Kovács were not seriously injured in the hostile attack, and in this dangerous situation they knew what their duty was. Sergeant First Class Andrea Nádasdi, who treated the wounded soldiers, also knew what her duty was," said the mayor. He added: when the Hungarian troops departed on September 3, he asked them not to forget that they would represent the Republic of Hungary in the NATO. Like he said, the Hódmezõvásárhely soldiers have also coped with the situation in the Central Asian country. Finally the mayor said that the Republic of Hungary owes a thank you to soldiers serving in Afghanistan, who have carried out their task honourably, decently, in an exemplary way.

Following the speech of the chairman of the committee, Imre Szekeres said: the Afghanistan mission is one of the most important commitments of the Hungarian Defence Forces. “It is also an important tool of our capability to assert our national interests. The fact that 44 countries, all 28 NATO member states have troops stationed in Afghanistan, indicates the importance of this operation. Those 90,000 soldiers who have come from these countries have a common objective, that there should be peace in that distant country and here at home, in Europe as well. This is our common international obligation, in which Hungary participates in proportion to its military power, to general satisfaction," said the minister, then he added: “You who have just returned and the soldiers of the 8th rotation that has recently departed are working on the reconstruction programs. The others are serving in other important functions, they help the training of the Afghan military and the establishment of peace." Like the minister said, the nation should thank that there are soldiers who undertake to protect the interests of the Republic of Hungary even thousands of kilometers away from our borders. “This is the basis, this is what makes us capable of undertaking such tasks: not only provincial reconstruction, or the tasks of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT), but the tasks of the leading nation at the Kabul airport as well. Furthermore we can also participate in the protection of the next elections in Afghanistan, and we can be present in the training of the pilots of the air force and in special operational tasks as well."

The minister also spoke about the golden hour program, which means that in Afghanistan, every soldier must receive hospital treatment within an hour. "For us it is especially important that two Hungarian soldiers could also receive this help," said Imre Szekeres.

In his address the minister also spoke about the social recognition of the defence forces. He said: “We have managed to reach national consensus in issues of national defence, and the few irresponsible statements made in recent weeks could not cast shadow on it. The national defence forces had to be renewed fundamentally, the military had to be strengthened and developments had to be started. As a result of the changes taking place in the past 20 years, today the defence forces guarantee the professional performance of national defence duties in a modern structure and with the latest equipments. They have developed into a modern, deployable military that is capable of carrying out operational tasks in the long term even outside the borders of Hungary." He added: in this work, the establishment of the Joint Forces Command, the integration of several units into a single organization that is in charge of decision making, execution, and control, was an important step. The minister emphasized: since 2006, the ratio of personnel working for organizations that belong to the corps, compared to the number of personnel in leading organizations, has increased from 58 per cent to 89 per cent. “The training system has also been renewed, for the members of the voluntary military different trainings have to be conducted than the ones they used to have in the mass army – every member of the Hungarian Defence Forces receives the same basic training. With the establishment of the voluntary military, the attitude of personnel has changed considerably, since they are a lot more committed now than they were in the period of general conscription," the minister emphasized.

In connection with the developments he mentioned the activated JAS–39 Gripens, the Heavy Airlift Wing in Pápa, various procurements, and the vehicle and combat vehicle modernization programs. "The signal systems have also been modernized, and the multiband radio that is a part of the air control system is now operational," said the minister, then he praised the work of EOD specialists, troops in military medical services, and other special units. Imre Szekeres also spoke about the importance of the subject of basic military studies. Like he said, the social recognition of the Hungarian Defence Forces has strengthened as a result of the latter. Finally he thanked the troops for their service, "that is an example of joining forces, cooperation."

In his speech, Colonel László Szabó, the commander of the 7th PRT thanked the families for their support. "A few data: 184 days, 800 tasks carried out outside the camp, more than 300,000 kilometres driven, more than 100 projects the quarter of which was a significant reconstruction task: renovation, construction of school buildings, hospitals," he summarised the months of the mission in numbers.

The event continued in Fekete Sas Rendezvényház (Black Eagle Event House) in Hódmezõvásárhely, where General László Tömböl proposed a toast. "We perform a duty that is very important for the democratic world. It is also important because in this region, these people who have suffered a lot should be able to take their life into their own hands and build a stable country," the chief of defence staff emphasised, then he added: the inaugurated school buildings, hospitals indicate and the politicians of the country also feel that the help given by the soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces greatly contributes to the fact that Afghanistan can start on the road leading to peace.

Finally the chief of defence staff thanked the members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, their families, and the Croatian members of the contingent for their good performance.