Central European Chiefs of Defence Conference

The Central European nations participating in the event (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) all considered the meeting highly significant because as members of the same region, they have to face similar security challenges.

Prior to the conference, a number of bilateral meetings took place, among them discussions between Hungarian Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő and Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, EUCOM Commander. The topics included Hungary’s increasing defence budget, the assistance to Ukraine, this year’s designated domestic and international military exercises, the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) to be established in Hungary, the joint action to be taken against the Islamic State (IS), Hungary’s special situation regarding Russian energy sources and foreign trade, and further participation in the ongoing missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Gen. Breedlove thanked Hungary for its participation in the Baltic Air Policing mission, and for the 250 tons of ammunition offered in support of the military action against the IS. Maj.-Gen. John Harris, Assistant Adjutant General – Army, Ohio National Guard was also present at the discussions. For more than 20 years, Hungary has been actively cooperating with the organization represented by Gen. Harris in the State Partnership Program. An encouraging sign is that after the end of the Hungarian–US operational co-deployment in Afghanistan, there is now a prospect of another, deeper, possibly operational cooperation, thanks to an increase in the allocation of resources to the National Guards over the next few years.

At the working meeting, the Chiefs of Defence and the EUCOM Commander discussed the details of NATO’s Readiness Action Plan, some current issues concerning the planned establishment of the NATO Headquarters Multinational Division Southeast and the current state and future development of the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINADS).

Photo: Defence Staff