Commanding General of USACE Visits Budapest

At the meeting, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende informed Lt.-Gen. Bostick about the dedicated work done by the members of the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) during flood relief operations and the 2010 red sludge disaster, and also about the disaster management duties and task system of the HDF which are laid down in the Fundamental Law of Hungary. Further items on the agenda of the discussions included Hungary’s plans for the development of HDF Pápa Air Base. Launched by the Ministry of Defence, the air base reconstruction program is aimed at developing Pápa Air Base into a logistic hub. The newly established capacities will enable the aerodrome to serve as an air base for large NATO forces directed to our region.

The participants of the meeting agreed that defence and military cooperation is one of the outstanding areas of Hungarian–American bilateral relations. Minister Hende emphasized that Hungary remains committed to further strengthening the cooperation. He said that Hungary’s goal is to develop its military capabilities from its own resources; at the same time, we highly appreciate the support our US partners provide us in the framework of various defence cooperation programs, and we are doing our best to make the most use of it.

Lt.-Gen. Bostick visited Hungary to participate in the Budapest Water Conference held between March 4 and 6, 2015. A key element in the USACE’s activities is water resources management both in the military and in its Civil Works program. The USACE operates one of the largest water resource infrastructures in the United States.

During his stay in Hungary, Lt.-Gen. Bostick also held discussions with President of Hungary János Áder.

Photo: Mária Krasznai-Nehrebeczky