KFOR-6 – This Was How It Started

Prior to the ceremony, both the outgoing and the incoming contingents did a lot of work. They had started executing the relevant tasks two weeks earlier, when the mission start-up team of the sixth rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent arrived at Camp Slim Lines, Pristina, Kosovo, where the personnel of the joint Portuguese–Hungarian battalion are stationed. Their task was not an easy one, as they were ordered to support the arrival of the main forces. Immediately after deplaning, they started working. However, they had no difficulty in executing their task, thanks to their high professional standards and the assistance they received from the previous rotation.

The fifth and sixth rotations jointly supported the arrival of the main forces at the airport. Having arrived in the camp, everybody occupied their areas of accommodation, then they were briefly introduced to the camp facilities. Next day the infantry company commenced the training program. On the first day, the personnel went over again the individual, squad- and platoon-level techniques, then started a practice on company level. The mentors of the fifth rotation assisted the training by sharing their experience.

The day of the final test, the so-called validation brought a chill, biting wind. The “exam" of the company was attended by KFOR Deputy Commander Brig.-Gen. Johann Luif. The Hungarian contingent was tasked with executing a CRC task in a fictitious situation. The first platoon arrived on the scene by helicopter, but the soldiers soon encountered a crowd of 15-20 Portuguese “rioters". This group was easy to disperse, but the peacekeepers had to call for reinforcements to control the swelling crowd at the roadblocks. The rest of the company arrived in a flash. They were right on time indeed because people in the crowd started throwing things at them and attacked them with sticks. On seeing that their lines were broken through, the rioters started using Molotov cocktails, but the soldiers – thanks to their pre-deployment training – were able to handle this situation too. They pushed the crowd back firmly and orderly until it gave up resistance and dispersed.

The DCOM KFOR was satisfied with what he had seen, and said that the Hungarians had done a good job. Next day the transfer of authority between the fifth and sixth rotations of the HDF KFOR Contingent took place in a ceremony. In his speech, Lt.-Col. András Polyák stressed the personnel’s outstanding performance at the validation.

The sixth rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent has thereby become a full component of the KFOR Tactical Reserve Maneuver (KTM) Battalion.