Filled Up

This year’s largest-scale NATO exercise Saber Guardian 2017 took place between June and August, and integrated 17 national exercises of seven countries involving approximately 40,000 personnel. The objective of the exercise was to demonstrate the collective defence capabilities of NATO, and it also provided the Hungarian Defence Forces with excellent opportunities to employ capabilities already in use and test new ones.

As part of the strategic-level coordination of the national training events of Saber Guardian, the HDF Logistic Centre (HDF LC) set up an RSOM Support Headquarters for the reception, staging and onward movement of forces. Under the control of the HDF Material Supply Depot Base (MSDB), for the first time in the history of the Hungarian Defence Forces, a Convoy Support Centre (CSC) was operating in Táborfalva in the subordination of the RSOM Support HQ. The main tasks of the CSC were to rest the personnel, refuel the vehicles, and facilitate continuing onward movement. Its staff was working in close cooperation with the personnel assigned to the HDF LC which received and escorted US convoys between the north-western and south-eastern border crossing points of Hungary.

Several foreign and Hungarian delegations visited the CSC to observe its work on the spot. Besides high-ranking NATO officers, the CSC base was visited by students and instructors from the National University of Public Service Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training Logistic Institute, the students of the general staff course, the staff members of NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) Hungary and the experts specialized in fuel supply at the HDF Joint Force Command.

Photo: HDF MSDB