Ministerial visit to Kecskemét

The reception was followed by a personnel meeting in attendance of – among others – Maj.Gen. Zoltán Orosz, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, MoD, Brig.Gen. László Domján, Director General, Military Security Office, Dr. Gábor Szarka, Head of the Cabinet Office, MoD, Maj.Gen. József Kovács, Commander, HDF JFC, and Brig.Gen. Nándor Kilián, Commander, Kecskemét Aviation Base. Csaba Hende pointed out in his speech that the government has to cope with a very difficult task: the entire system of national defence has to be renewed, including the whole defence sphere. A structure has to be set up that stands the test of life and time alike. The minister underlined: we want to create security in the life of the military, to this end, the defence forces have to be put on a predictable track. This requires fast, firm decisions. The homeland has to love her soldiers and hold those in esteem who have chosen this profession. The high standard of performance deserves a worthy remuneration, therefore they need a predictable life career, mainly in special fields such as the Air Force.

The minister also spoke about the importance of rising wages, the necessity of renewing the human service, the strengthening of military family care. “Join me in this hard work in order to achieve that people can feel the changes soon! I trust you – do trust me" – the minister finished his speech. Following that, Csaba Hende answered the troops’ questions. During the session he outlined future opportunities to be provided by the planned new public service university, and confirmed that the necessary resources for the new tasks of the Air Force will be available. The minister – mentioning Poland as an example – spoke about the future role of the voluntary reservist system and stressed that irresponsible wasting of money is over. "In the first few weeks this government has already proved that it considers the cause of national defence a priority issue. Despite the austerity measures and decreasing subsidies, it has left billions of forints at the MoD for the necessary developments, modernisation."

The minister’s Tuesday program also included briefings on the aviation base and the activities of the HDF Airplane Repair Plant, and a tour of the base.