The Multinational CIMIC Group’s Governing Board Met in Budapest

Szöveg: Szabolcs Nyulas | 2018. november 22. 18:50

Hungary took over the Presidency of the Multinational CIMIC Group (MNCG) this year, therefore the coordinating board of the organisation met in our homeland – Brigadier General Zsolt Sándor, the Land Forces Chief of the HDF Joint Force Command and current Chairman of the Group said on Thursday, 22nd November at the consultation held in the capital.

In reply to our question Brigadier General stated that the predecessor organisation of the Multinational CIMIC Group was formed in 2002 as CIMIC Group South, the leading nation of which was Italy, and the founding members were Greece, Portugal and Hungary. The founders were joined by Romania and Slovenia in 2004. The soldiers of these nations attended the present discussion – he added. The main objective of the MNCG is to provide support to the NATO operations.

The governing board of the MNCG, the Coordinating Committee supervises the work of the organisation, provides guidance and makes decisions. The activity of the board is directed by the chairman elected every two years. Hungary assumed the presidency in 2018.

The Brigadier General highlighted the role of the CIMIC-soldiers in the army, noting that it is very important to have someone, who understands and knows the environment, the civilians, and can support the commander in the decision-making process. "There are only a few people who have this ability, but they can make a significant contribution to the success of an operation" – he emphasised. A good example for this is the stopping of the flow of migration at the Southern border, namely that the soldiers can register this as a success is due to the consultation with the local people, and that the society understood and accepted for what purpose it was necessary to close the border.