Joining Forces for the Cause of National Defence

Being invited to the steering board meeting, on Thursday afternoon MoD State Secretary Dr. István Simicskó was received by the Matasz leaders in the centre of the organization on Kerepesi St, Budapest. The State Secretary told us that last year the Hungarian NGOs  Matasz in particular  had been instrumental in the development of the volunteer reserve system.

„The previous governments did not prefer the development of the reserve system; the current one, however, is firmly committed to establishing a 6,000-strong volunteer reserve by the end of its term. This large-scale project ranks among the key force development goals of the Hungarian Defence Forces"  said the Parliamentary State Secretary.

Dr. István Simicskó pointed out that the volunteer reserve system has a stable future because Hungary’s new Constitution refers to it and the new Act on National Defence lays much more emphasis on it than the previous one. Currently there are 2,049 volunteer defence reservists in the system; the MoD leadership intends to increase this manpower to 6,000 by the end of the term. The Reserve will be made up of 4,000 volunteer defence reservists and a further 2,000 volunteer operational reservists.

István Simicskó added that the current plans envisage the introduction of another category, that of the so-called “civilian reservists", which would include public figures who are willing to give their name, popularity and public-spirited work to support this cause.

“This means more than just generating another capability, as the volunteer reserve system can help us make sure that the cause of national defence becomes a cause truly embraced by the whole nation", said the State Secretary. He added that NGOs such as Matasz can contribute mainly by providing intellectual capital, expertise and professional experience. “These people are committed to the cause of national defence, being patriots who, while going against the tide, have achieved significant results in school education by raising public awareness of national defence. By organizing national defence days and outdoor events, they have introduced the students to the cause of national defence and the soldiers’ work. In the future, we need to be more actively engaged in this field as well. For this reason, the Ministry of Defence fully supports the NGOs’ efforts, as we have common interests and goals"  said Dr. István Simicskó.

Dr. Ottó Czuprák, the chairman of Matasz told us that the organization forms a bridge between society and the cause of national defence. Matasz was established in 2001 as a grassroots organization, and by the end of 2002, it was present in every county of Hungary.

Besides uniting reservists, Matasz is involved in a number of other activities as well. It has established bilateral relations with fourteen countries, of which the ones with Germany and the USA are especially fruitful.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi