Hungarian Soldiers Provide Assistance in Kosovo

The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is placing increasing emphasis on non-kinetic, i.e. non-warfighting capabilities. Of these, one of the most salient elements is the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activity. Civil-Military Cooperation is a tool in the commanders’ hands that helps developing and maintaining relationships in mission areas abroad as well.

Gaining familiarity with the cultural and social customs and history of the populace living in a given area of operations, and with the economic and political environment in the area are indispensable for the implementation of a successful military mission and for winning the hearts and minds of local people. Acquiring this body of knowledge has significantly increased our ability to better understand and deal with the arising situations and defuse them by establishing a relatively friction-free interaction. Based on a comprehensive approach, besides making sure that people will accept the presence of military forces, military assistance in a civil environment can also help with developing the self-sufficiency of the local populace.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world", Nelson Mandela said. The right to education is a fundamental human right, and there is still room for improvement of the circumstances in Kosovo. To improve the conditions of education, the KFOR Joint Effects Centre (JEC) has recently implemented a comprehensive CIMIC project by drawing on the transportation and storage capacity of the 14th rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent (KFOR-14 HUNCON). In addition to the members of the contingent, the Hungarian soldiers assigned to the JEC also helped to plan and carry out the mission.

The planning and implementation of KFOR-funded CIMIC projects in compliance with international and KFOR standards as well as cooperation with various KFOR cells also help the civil population to accept the presence of Hungarian troops.

Photo: JRD-N