Hungary is a Reliable Ally of NATO

"A strong Hungary with a strong national army serves the security of NATO and the region as well" – Minister of Defence Dr. Tibor Benkő pointed out after the NATO meeting on defence ministers’ level held from 26-27 June in Brussels. The Minister participated in the two-day defence ministers’ meeting of NATO member states in the Belgian capital, in which – according to him – the participants were clearly in agreement regarding the need to further strengthen the North Atlantic Alliance, amongst other things in the fight against terrorism.

He emphasised that although Hungary’s security situation can be called stable, the country is situated at the intersection of the threats coming from the east and the south, so the stability of the Western Balkans for example is of high priority for us. He underlined the need for solidarity for those member states, who feel the threat from the east more determining.

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for Hungary to inform her Allies about the situation of the Central European Multinational Division Command to set up jointly with Croatia, which will reach its full operational capability (FOC) by the end of the year 2022. Dr. Tibor Benkő highlighted that the initiative is open for all NATO member states.

The issue of the application of revolutionary technologies was put for the first time on the table of NATO. In connection with this Dr. Tibor Benkő noted that the Alliance should give response to the fact that the technological superiority earlier characterising NATO can no longer be taken for granted. Accordingly, the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) gives high priority to the harmonisation of the innovation ecosystem with the armed forces development projects. Related to the topic, the Minister said that a Cyber Academy dealing with the issues of cyber operation was inaugurated two weeks ago, which has already started its operation.

One key topic of the meeting was the proportional transatlantic burden-sharing. In the area of the increase of defence spending, some progress can be reported, and Hungary stands out in this, as in respect of the defence spending one of the largest increases has been realised in Hungary since 2014. The Defence Minister highlighted: "It indicates an irresponsible thinking if a country does not put the security first. If there is no security, there is nothing to talk about" – he pointed out.

In response to a journalist’s question, the Minister of Defence stressed that in addition to the deterrent measures, further negotiations are needed with Russia in the matter of the INF Treaty on the elimination of their ground-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. Concerning NATO’s operational engagements, the Defence Minister stated that Hungary is firmly of the view that problems should be solved in the countries of origin, therefore we maintain our military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we even plan an increased contribution in the latter case.

On the margins of the meeting Dr. Tibor Benkő conducted talks with Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

Photo: nato.int