Excellently Trained for Peacekeeping

The training sessions partly built on the knowledge they had acquired in Hungary, so in many cases the only objective was to brush up their skills. In addition to the refreshment training the soldiers have acquired a number of new skills such as driving right-hand-drive vehicles, conduct by UN standards of behavior and rules for protection against discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin and sex.

After acquiring the general skills, all troops received special training for their posts. This is especially important, since in some cases what they learned at home was in need of addition or was not fully up-to-date. Those serving as infantrymen had to gain driving licenses, which are indispensable indeed, because in compliance with the postings to their duty stations, they needed to learn the necessary skills as part of the training already in the first days, while out on patrol.

The immediate start of the in-theatre training was necessary because the patrols must know the limits of the buffer zone, the main and secondary patrol routes, the UN observation posts and the location of the more than 100 Turkish and Greek positions in the 75 km2 area of responsibility of the Hungarian infantry platoon.

During the first two weeks the key leaders participated in a “Train the Trainers" program to learn all the things they were tasked to teach the subordinates during the rest of the training and the mission. Among other things, they were introduced to the task system of Crowd Riot Control (CRC), the first aid and other procedures for responding to car or helicopter accidents. They learnt how to extinguish fires in the zone that occur frequently due to the drought in the summer, and the rules of fire prevention. The troops were trained in safe conduct of helicopter surveillance and securing the flight in the landing zone. In accordance with the “Force Commander Directive", as part of the training the newcomers executed the prescribed target practice by domestic and international standards.

The superiors of the mission showed great interest as they were following the training of Sector 4 and the Hungarian platoon in it. On May 13 UNFICYP Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Kristin Lund will personally inspect the troops serving in the sector.

The Slovakian troops serving as the lead nation in Sector 4 fully agree with their Serbian and Ukrainian comrades that the 37th rotation of the Hungarian contingent of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mission has reached full operational capability (FOC) with the successful completion of the training period.