Exercise Deployment Direction 2008 Has Started

This year’s exercise is the fourth Hungarian Defence Forces-level manoeuvre in a row to bear the name Deployment Direction. The exercise between 15 September–15 October is the largest scale training event of the defence forces this year, and its importance lies in the fact that it mobilizes almost every corps of the professional Hungarian military. In addition to that, it provides an opportunity for soldiers to prepare jointly, and to perfect tactical-operational procedures and methods. The main aim of this year’s exercise is to demonstrate how the Hungarian Defence Forces would act in the course of executing so-called national defence tasks.

On 15 September, at the exercise opening event – attended by a part of the participating staff and the leadership of HDF Joint Forces Command (HDF JFC) – Lieutenant General (Eng.) László Tömböl, HDF JFC Commander said he is convinced that the powers and technical equipment presented at the exercise, furthermore the static and dynamic movements to be demonstrated convincingly confirm that the Joint Forces Command and the subordinate corps are ready and able to execute the tasks laid down by law.

General Tömböl emphasized that the 2008 training event is also different from the practice of former years, considering that participants will complete a highly complex task this time. Last week the preparations of the second rotation of the KFOR battalion were finished and the battalion carried out the closing exercise successfully. And this week, the tactical exercise itself will commence.

"I believe the weeks to come are extremely appropriate for practicing and drilling those tasks over and over again for which we have to be ready in any moment in order to defend the country," said Lieutenant General (Eng.) László Tömböl in his opening address.