Ministerial Award to German Surgeon General

In recognition of his significant role in the continuous development of Hungarian–German relations in military medicine, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó awarded the “Alliance" medal to the Surgeon General of the Medical Service of the German armed forces. The decoration was presented by Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő on the minister’s behalf.

The citation read out at the presentation ceremony pointed out Germany’s key role in the establishment of the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine in Budapest ten years ago. The excellent professional cooperation in the field of military medicine has been going on ever since, and General Dr. Michael Tempel had a lasting role in achieving and maintaining it.

At the presentation of the medal, Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő praised the excellent German–Hungarian military-to-military relations, pointing out the joint work in the Balkans, Afghanistan and at the NATO SHAPE in Mons. As he noted, the cooperation must be continued along the same lines as before, and military medicine will remain one of its key areas. Lt.-Gen. Dr. Michael Tempel said thanks for the recognition on behalf of the entire German military medicine, adding that this award obliges him to carry on his work.

Of the bilateral relations of the Hungarian Defence Forces in the field of military medicine, those with Germany are the most extensive and have the most significance in practice, especially in the field of force health protection in foreign missions.

Lt.-Gen. Dr. Michael Tempel is staying in Hungary on a four-day visit at the invitation of Brig.-Gen. (MD) Dr. István Kopcsó, the Chief of the HDF Medical Service. During the visit, he had a discussion with the commander of the HDF Medical Centre and the Director of the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (MILMED COE), and then he was received on a courtesy call by Maj.-Gen. István Szabó, Deputy Chief of Defence for Coordination.

Photo: WO Lajos Szabó