Leaders of Multinational Engineer Battalion Meet in Kiev
Szöveg: Defence Staff | 2015. február 15. 11:13The transfer of authority in the “TISA” Multinational Engineer Battalion (MEB) took place at a meeting held in Kiev on February 10–11. The Hungarian delegation was headed by Lt.-Gen. Dr. Zoltán Orosz, Deputy Chief of Defence. During the meeting, Hungary took over the lead nation role of the battalion.
This year Hungary is filling the lead nation role of the engineer battalion which operates with the cooperation of Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.
At the Kiev meeting the responsibilities were taken over and the tasks planned for 2015 were coordinated. This year Hungary will be responsible for the conduct of the annual exercise Blonde Avalanche of the MEB and for the coordination of related tasks. The participants of the meeting emphasized the importance of multilateral military relations – which are developing in the framework of the MEB – in the interest of European peace and stability and the strengthening of common responsibility. Besides the conduct of the exercise, the political and military leaders of the four countries have decided that Hungary’s lead nation role in 2015 will involve the important task of expanding the MEB’s area of responsibility to the River Danube and its catchment basin. This expansion necessitates amendments to the intergovernmental agreement on the establishment of the battalion and to the technical agreement.
In the history of the MEB, its national contingents have so far been deployed only in the territories of the member countries. The annual exercise Blonde Avalanche, however, is especially important in the battalion’s life, as it serves the military training of the four nations and the building of cohesion among the personnel, and offers the troops good opportunities to gain experience in an international environment. This year Hungary will host the exercise in the garrison towns of Szentes and Hódmezővásárhely.
The representatives of Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Indiana National Guard and the Ohio National Guard will be invited to attend the exercise with observer status, and the Deputy Chiefs of Defence of Austria, Serbia and Bulgaria will be invited to the meeting of the MEB Steering Group which is due to take place concurrent with the exercise. The representatives of Austria, Serbia and Bulgaria are invited to participate in the meeting of the MEB Multinational Working Group, which is to take place concurrent with the main planning conference of the exercise.
Photo: Defence Staff
