C-17 Program Discussed By The Defence Committee

Dr. János Lázár, the chairman of the committee greeted the attendees and put forward a proposal to hold the session and a proposal for the agenda point of the committee session.

In his short introduction Károly Füredi emphasized: in the view of the senior staff of the NATO, the current phase of the program proves that our country has undertaken a successful role and implementation was fast. “I was also personally involved in this task, because it was me who informed the NATO that Hungary wished to join the program, but I would not have thought that this can be realized in just a few years. Today we can say that the aircraft are on duty and they have successfully accomplished their first task in Afghanistan. It is an interesting feature of the program that two non-NATO states have also joined he organization and signed the charter," underlined the state secretary.

Major General Dr. József Horváth, the CEO of the MoD Development and Logistics Agency informed the committee about the developments in Pápa and what they have accomplished up to the present. By way of introduction, he said that due to the military requirements of the NATO and the complexity of the tasks it was necessary to develop and improve the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC). This organization provides a large capacity airlift capability that allows economic operation and is available to every member state, should they need it. The statute that regulates the activity of this organization and the rules of its management came into effect on September 23, 2008. A multifunctional base had to be constructed in Pápa, that meets the NATO requirements and at the same time it is also closely aligned with the defence policy of Hungary. During the reconstruction works the technical equipments, service buildings, the hangar, and the security facilities had to be modernized. "This piece of work is not finished entirely, we discuss the developments with the users on a regular basis so that we can provide optimal service for the aircraft and the crew. In the coming years we will plan the relocation of the official command of the organization, because we would like to make efforts to turn Hungary into the obvious site of the organization of the operations," said Maj.Gen. Horváth.

In the board of directors that leads the organization it is always the principle of equality that dominates whenever decisions are made. Every state that signed the contract has one delegate in the board – each delegate has one vote and all votes have the same weight. This applies to the two non-member states, Sweden and Finland as well, who joined the organization as external members. The board of directors was set up on September 29, 2008, and membership rotates. The future objective is that as many countries as possible should join this initiative, since it would allow the efficient use of the aircraft. At the moment the three airplanes are already in Pápa, and the operational costs of the aircraft are distributed among the nations in proportion to the number of flying hours. Dr. József Horváth emphasized that the three airplanes are the property of several nations. He heard the following through the NATO grapevine: when we talk about the SAC program and mention Pápa, it is like when the Brazilian football team runs into the stadium.

Colonel Miklós Domokos, the commander of the HDF Pápa Base Airport emphasized: the program that has been implemented here is one of the nice symbols of the cooperation of the Hungarian nation and the military force. There was a very bad public feeling in the town following the dissolution of the air force wing, but as soon as they were given a new chance with this program, the situation changed radically. Launching the program demanded a lot of efforts from the employees. "It is certain that now one may come across tired soldiers at the base, but no one can find a bitter man here. There were a lot of criteria we had to meet until we reached this phase. There have been tight security inspections, where a number of external and internal conditions were examined, from the circumstances in the garrisons to the accomodation possibilities of families; from medical care and the organization of education to the quality of services provided in the town." The proposal of the committee, submitted on November 17, 2007, finally said that Pápa should be the host corps of this wing. Following that the events accelerated and renovation began almost everywhere in the barracks: the control tower, the employees’ offices, the CSMO, the canteens, pass systems, fences, and duty offices were modernized. They have a good relationship with the military command of the organization, they have weekly meetings where tasks and problems are discussed.

Major General (eng.) Gábor Csák, the chief executive officer of the MoD Infrastructural Agency said: when the program was launched it was important for them to provide comfortable accomodation for those who serve here, that is why they started investments at the beginning to ensure a feeling of comfort. The security system had to be developed in order to ensure the protection of the entire area. The guards had to take on more employees, who were provided by the MoD. They have also accomplished a lot in the area of environmental protection, but there are still 12 tasks left, which have to be carried out. The relevant charters have been completed. They had the Hungarian professional personnel in mind when they allocated 50 million forints for those serving at the base, because they would like to support the real estate purchase of professional personnel and help the settling of the troops in the area with this. It can be said that the leaders of the ministry have guaranteed the financial resources for the realization of the investments that are within the National Scope of Responsibility. There is still a lot to do until 2012, the full completion, and the military command will guarantee the financial resources.

Zoltán Kovács, the mayor of Pápa said that the development has been and will continue to be a distinguished program for the town. The fact that the families of foreign soldiers live in the town also constitutes a part of the project, therefore they have work to do in this area as well. The mayor first underlined that main road No. 83 cannot cope with the traffic that has become busier as a result of the airlift capability, therefore this road must be modernized. The children of the families must have educational opportunities and the state must undertake to pay its share of the related financial burden. The question of the civil ambulance helicopter should be examined and it should be achieved that instead of Balatonfüred, the helicopter is on duty in Pápa.

Dr. János Lázár, the chairman of the committee pointed out that they have been informed about a program from which Hungary may even benefit in the long run. In his opinion the external requirements, mainly the road and the rail transport are strategic issues. The reports clearly reflect that inside the gates, the defence forces have done everything to ensure the implementation of the program, and the MPs have to undertake to solve the problems that are outside the gates.

Following that, the attendees exchanged their views and there was a Q&A session. The issue of road No. 83 was raised by several members, who suggested that experts should examine this problem and the competent ministry should be contacted and told about the importance of renovation. There were questions about the problem of aircraft utilization, and the extent to which the planned restraints may concern the program. But it was also asked when the aircraft will have Hungarian pilots. The questions were answered by military experts.

Finally the committee was shown C-17 No.2, where the commander of the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) personally informed the members about the parameters of the aircraft and the tasks of the wing.