Efficient and productive cooperation

Dr. István Simicskó, state secretary designate of the Ministry of Defence, and the chiefs of defence staff of the Italian, Slovenian, Croatian and the Hungarian army were received with military honours Monday morning at the inspection post of the zero point shooting range near Veszprém, where the distinguished visitors’ day of the Multinational Land Force’s exercise Clever Ferret 2010 was held.

Following the anthems of the four nations, Chief of Defence Staff General (eng.) László Tömböl opened the event. He said the duties of the Hungarian Defence Forces are laid down in the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary and the Act on Home Defence. These duties can be arranged into three main sets of task. The first one is the armed protection of the sovereignty, territory, airspace, population and assets of the Republic of Hungary against external attacks, and the fulfilment of military duties in the alliance. The second one is the fulfilment of military duties undertaken in international agreements, and the third group is for home defence tasks in time of peace.

Deployment Direction and Clever Ferret

– Meeting the expectations of society and the alliance – this is what determined and motivated the organisational changes implemented in recent years and technical developments completed within our means. The main objective, driving force of our daily activity has been the development of capabilities which are essential to the protection of the homeland and the fulfilment of alliance and international commitments, and the objective will remain the same in the future – said the chief of defence staff, who also pointed out that in order to attain the objectives of the Hungarian Defence Forces, they needed an event which presents an opportunity for the complex training of troops and evaluating the fulfilment of requirements specified in the act, and on the other hand, it is also an opportunity for an extensive demonstration of achievements and capabilities for the military/professional community as well as social and state leaders.

Gen. Tömböl underlined: in the past, this role was played by exercises Deployment Direction, the most significant modular training events in the Hungarian Defence Forces for years. Since 2005, the main themes of the exercise have included the demonstration of the HDF’s new capabilities and deployment possibilities as well as their readiness for home defence-related operations, the prerequisites of which are developments and training, and the use of available simulation systems.

– The experiences of recent years prove that one of the main, professional, well-established and cost-efficient forms of contributing to joint defence is the use of multinational task forces. Therefore it is essential to ensure their deployability, conscious and constant development, training, and provide them with technologies that meet the requirements of the time and suit the troops’ level of training. Bearing this in mind – and not giving up Deployment Direction-type exercises in the future – this year, in the framework of exercise Clever Ferret, we would like to demonstrate the preparedness of the Hungarian Defence Forces for cooperation with NATO and EU response forces, and our readiness for joint deployment as a part of multinational task forces. The duties and success of joint activities conducted in several crisis zones in recent years also highlight the need for that – said General Tömböl.

In his opening address the chief of defence staff also underlined that Clever Ferret 2010 is not a novelty in the history of international exercises. The yearly exercises of the Italian–Slovenian–Hungarian Multinational Land Force have been held since 2002 on a regular basis, and the aim of the exercises is to judge the MLF’s level of training and preparedness. It is the second occasion Hungary is hosting the exercise, the first Clever Ferret in Hungary was held in 2003. This year 960 Italian, 175 Slovenian, and 1,256 Hungarian soldiers are participating in the exercise and Croatia has sent four observers. The HDF participates in the MLF with staff officers, an infantry company, a water purification platoon, and military police. The base unit is the Debrecen-based HDF 5th ’István Bocskai’ Infantry Brigade’s 5/62nd battalion stationed in Hódmezõvásárhely, where the NATO CREVAL inspection was carried out before the exercise and the unit has been declared combat ready.

– The preparation of international task forces has important objectives, similarly to exercise Clever Ferret 2010: to demonstrate the MLF’s operational efficiency and its capacity to carry out tasks in missions; with the help of a multinational team of inspectors and by setting uniform criteria, to assess the operational capability of the MLF command; and to prepare the personnel of MLF for the completion of a possible ISAF mission. Another important thing is to prepare for the start of the Croatian party’s integration into the MLF, once the necessary military/political decision is made – said Gen. Tömböl, adding: the brief history of the MLF is a convincing proof of the efficiency and productivity of the cooperation.

– I am convinced that the exercise will attain its objective and it will contribute to strengthening the professional nature of the voluntary army, increasing the competence of the MLF’s command staff, demonstrating our capabilities, and continuing the good relationship between society and the defence forces – said the chief of defence staff.

Suicide attack and a convoy under fire

The dynamic display of the distinguished visitors’ day consists of two parts, both of them trying to simulate events that might happen any time in Afghanistan – continued Major General József Kovács, Chief of Land Forces, HDF JFC, the narrator and director of Clever Ferret 2010. The general emphasised: the security policy environment has changed, asymmetric warfare is in the forefront, and the Hungarian Defence Forces also have to cope with these challenges. Soldiers have to be capable of participating in the fight against terrorism, crisis management, and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.

In the first stage of the demonstration – said Maj.Gen. Kovács – we will see a suicide bomber at the inaugural ceremony of a medical centre in the PRT’s area of responsibility. The PRT commander and the local UN representative are also among the guests. Several people die and many are wounded in the attack and the medical troops of the team securing the event, together with the specialist staff of the centre are beginning to provide medical care. They request an airlift for the injured, the arriving helicopter is covered by two combat helicopters. In the meantime the rapid response platoon made up of Slovenian troops also arrives and they liquidate another suicide bomber as he is approaching the attacked facility by car. Following that the commander of the international forces transfers the security duties of the area to the chief of the local police units.

In the second manoeuvre a convoy transporting medicine donated by the WHO is attacked in a combined ambush – reported Maj.Gen. Kovács, while visitors were watching videos of attacks against ISAF vehicles in Afghanistan on the media wall installed in front of the inspection post. – The explosive device has rendered one of the transport vehicles in the motorcade inoperative therefore they cannot leave the area. The standing convoy is ambushed and the commander requests help from the MLF commander, who sends a Hungarian rapid response platoon. When the Hungarian soldiers arrive they get out of their vehicles and confront the attackers. They are also assisted by two Gripen fighters.

The MLF is needed

Following the dynamic demonstration, state secretary designate István Simicskó appraised what the guests have seen.

– I believe this training exercise is highly important. First I would like to forward the greetings of Defence Minister Csaba Hende, who would have liked to be here but he is in a cabinet meeting. I will inform him about the successful exercise we have seen here today. Despite the harsh weather, soldiers did their best. I would like to thank those who have completed this work. I believe this exercise clearly proves the importance of cooperation within the alliance, and the power it has. In cooperation with our Italian and Slovenian friends we have participated in a successful and productive exercise. I believe this type of cooperation contributes to strengthening Hungarian soldiers’ self-esteem, and as a result of that, it also strengthens their faith and spirit. And this cooperation of comrades in arms also contributes to increasing the security of troops in dangerous situations in Afghanistan and elsewhere – said István Simicskó.

The state secretary designate of the Ministry of Defence added: what the guests have seen at the demonstration shows that the first Orbán cabinet’s decision to set up the MLF was a good decision, for the MLF is needed, and it is also necessary to familiarise ourselves with other military cultures and let other nations acquaint themselves with us.