NATO Assistant Secretary-General Visits Ministry of Defence

On the first day of the meeting – at a plenary session – Deputy State Secretary Gábor Márki and Dr. Gyula Keszthelyi, Director General, HDF Armaments and Quartermaster Office (HDF AQO) informed the guests about the Hungarian Defence Forces’ participation in NATO workgroups and programs as well as in NATO-, EU- and UN-led missions and the capabilities and opportunities of Hungarian defence industry firms. The modernization of the HDF military equipment and new types of challenges such as C-IED and Cyber Defence were also high on the agenda of the talks. Patrick Auroy closed the session with a short update on the transformation of NATO agencies and thanked Hungary for supporting the process.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the HDF AQO Institute of Military Technology where Col. (Eng.) Dr. József Rusz talked about the structure and operation of the Institute and Hungary’s outstanding achievements in the field of military technology research and development. The guests also visited the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (MILMED COE), the first international military organization accredited in Hungary, where they were received by Director Col. Dr. István Kopcsó. The MILMED COE director and deputy director Col. Thomas Harbaum informed the delegation about the role of the Hungary-led COE in an international context.

On the second day, Patrick Auroy paid a courtesy visit to MoD Administrative State Secretary Lajos Fodor. The program continued at the HDF Pápa Air Base where the distinguished guests met Maj-Gen. Zoltán Pintér, Air Force Chief, HDF JFC and Col. Miklós Domonkos, the commandant of the Pápa Air Base. Col. Domonkos, USAF Col. John Zazworsky, Commander, NATO Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW), Gunnar Borch, GM, NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA), and his deputy, László Szarvas held a presentation for the delegation. The NATO ASG/DI spoke highly of the complex role played by the Republic of Hungary.

Photo: Dóra Kovács