Mandate Expires of Hungary’s Current Military Representative in Brussels

The chairmen of the NATO Military Committee and the EU Military Committee said farewell to Maj.-Gen. Domján at military committee meetings held during his last week in office. In his farewell speech delivered at the 25 October meeting of the EU Military Committee, Chairman EU Military Committee (CEUMC) General Mikhail Kostarakos pointed out that Hungary has always been an important and reliable ally in multinational and regional cooperation through its recognition of emerging risks in a changing security environment and their outstandingly active management. The Office of the Military Representative of Hungary played a significant role in the planning and implementation of the military tasks of the EU’s new Global Strategy. It consistently represented Hungarian interests in the proper establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), and the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC). He went on emphasizing that during Maj.-Gen. Domján’s representative mandate, Hungary placed special emphasis on increasing the role of Hungarian troops in foreign missions and operations, and thereby made one of the most significant contributions among all EU member states in the areas of the Western Balkans and Africa. The CEUMC thanked Maj.-Gen. Domján for his outstanding activity and the pro-active functioning of the Hungarian office, and wished him every success with his further military service.

At the 26 October session of the NATO Military Committee, Lt.-Gen. Steven M. Shepro, Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee (DCMC) pointed out that Maj.-Gen. Domján assumed his duties at the beginning of a dramatic change in the security environment, which has induced significant changes in the interpretation of defence issues at community and national levels. During the time of his service as military representative, the Hungarian delegation played an outstanding role in working out NATO concepts and strategies in response to threats from the east and the south, and in the implementation of the NATO Readiness Action Plan. Considering the number of deployable national forces, Hungary has become one of the most significant troop contributing member states in the area of the Western Balkans and Afghanistan. After a Hungary-related strategic assessment of the geopolitical environment – which has undergone significant changes on a historic scale –, the Office of the Military Representative of Hungary actively initiated the establishment of a NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in Hungary and the formulation of Hungary-related response plans of the Alliance.

Lt.-Gen. Shepro pointed out that in the Military Committee, the Hungarian side consistently represented a number of considered and carefully formulated views and thoughts based on military expertise, which have favorably contributed to the work of the MC in outlining timely and meaningful military proposals. He also noted that the work of the office was characterized by the consistent representation of Hungarian interests, and it made significant efforts to develop Hungarian military capabilities and initiate new development projects that effectively assist the roles undertaken by the Hungarian Defence Forces in tackling new challenges ahead of NATO. Among other factors, this has enabled Hungary to spend more than EUR 130 million from NATO’s common funding until 2025 on national capability development projects.

General Shepro thanked General Domján for his outstanding work in the Military Committee and wished him every success with his military career in the future.

In his speeches delivered at both MC meetings, Maj.-Gen. László Domján emphasized that he was honored to represent Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces in a military forum of such a high level, and the achievements are not to be credited to him alone but also to the conscientious work of all staff members of the Office of the Military Representative. He expressed his appreciation to the MC members for their professional work of four years as well as for the collective result in an environment full of challenges, and thanked them for their cooperation. He expressed special thanks through Belgium’s representative office to the host nation, which has done its best to facilitate the smooth and secure workings of the local institutions of NATO and the EU.