New commander to lead the NBC Information Centre

János Zelenák had been serving as the commander of the centre since 1996. Between July 1, 2010 and July 15, 2014, the colonel will take a foreign posting in the Czech Republic, where he will be serving as the deputy director of NATO’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre of Excellence.

Maj.Gen. Zoltán Orosz, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, MoD was also present at the event. The general said in his address that the commander who is leaving the organisation is a person who determined the life of the corps and the community for nearly one and a half decades. “After spending more than 14 years in his position as the commander of the centre, the successful and experienced outgoing commander is promoted to a new, more senior position as a result of his recognition by superiors," said the deputy chief of defence staff. He said he core function of the NBC Information Centre is to gather, record and analyse information on the chemical, biological and nuclear situation and the security of the military environment, to forecast and assess harmful consequences, and inform the top military officers of the HDF. “The military organisation has serious professional and military traditions, in recognition of which on their 40th anniversary the corps received a ribbon for their division colours from the minister. The forty years of their existence has been characterised by active and continuous participation in alliance tasks, constant capability development, and depending on resources, efforts to develop new capabilities, as well as the need for continuous renewal," said Zoltán Orosz. He added: the capabilities of the centre are recognised at home and internationally. “Last year one of the important tasks of the ’Artúr Görgei’ NBC Information Centre (GAVIK) was, in order to develop the NBC protection capability of the Hungarian Defence Forces in cooperation with the Operations and Training Command, Honvéd General Staff, MoD, to conduct a computer-aided multi-level CBRN alert and assessment system exercise for the designated organisations and personnel of the HDF. Beyond practicing data provision, evaluation, alerts and decontamination in the event of nuclear, biological and chemical strikes, the personnel also demonstrated the instruments and procedures of chemical/radiological situation assessment and evaluation in the framework of static and dynamic displays on the Bakonykút training area," emphasised the major general.

He said GAVIK had a lot of tasks and earned significant recognition in the previous period which was dynamic. "It is also evident that being the commander of the centre is a responsible task with many challenges. János Zelenák has performed his duties as a commander with firmness and expertise," said the deputy chief of defence staff, who continued with the brief introduction of János Zelenák’s military carrier, pointing out that being a well-trained soldier and a good leader is one of life’s greatest challenges for those who choose home defence as their profession. He added: János Zelenák was aware of that and served accordingly.

Referring to the colonel’s new position the general said that serving in the Centre of Excellence is an exceptional opportunity, for the most excellent of the excellent work there, and what they will be working on in the future  under the leadership of the engineer colonel, among others  will serve as guidelines for the special services of every NATO member state. At the end of his speech Zoltán Orosz presented the outgoing commander with a memorial plaque on behalf of the chief of the defence staff.

The deputy chief of defence staff told Gusztáv Micskey that his career is similar to that of the outgoing commander in many ways. "Based on his preparedness and experience we have found him suitable for the job of the commander of the centre," he added. Finally he said that he expects a high level of expertise, discipline, loyalty, willingness to cooperate and uncompromising professionalism from subordinate personnel.

Following the handover of the unit colours János Zelenák said: in January 1996, when he took up his appointment at the Chemical Protection Data Collection, Evaluation and Information Centre, enlisted soldiers, drivers and drawers were serving there. “Evaluation was manual  even though the first IBM 386s had already appeared  and there was a notebook, too, which was out of order for the most part," said the colonel, who continued with his plans for the organisation. He explained that his aim was to have a military organisation that is professional, skilled, deployable any time and does a quality job; where soldiers support each other in their creative work and the atmosphere is good. “I wanted to create an organisation that is recognised both at home and abroad, respected for its professional activities, and contributes to the development of the chemical protection capabilities of the military and the country," he added. The colonel pointed out that the superiors, namely the NBC chief of the HDF, the director and the commander of the Operations Command Centre of the Honvéd General Staff, the commander of the Land Command, and the commander of the Joint Forces Command recognised the work of the centre, and NATO and EU workgroups count on the activity of the centre’s experts. “The fact that we have participated in the elaboration and correction of the latest assessment regulations also indicates our recognition. Furthermore we have been participating in the Operational AssessmentTeam of the NATO Response Force since the beginning," he added.

The colonel also underlined that the centre runs a number of trainings, courses in Hungarian and English and they also put emphasis on the training of troops preparing for their foreign posting, moreover, they conduct several exercises. János Zelenák gave a brief overview of their most important tasks, mentioning the breakdown of the Paks nuclear power plant in the course of which they had to assess the emerging situation in a short time. In his opinion the search for the lost radiation source and its recovery was also memorable.

The colonel said the centre has a professional, well-prepared, committed and devoted team. There has been a considerable improvement as regards mobility and deployability, and the use of computers and communication in foreign languages are not a problem today. "The move to the old/new barracks in less than four weeks was not an impossible task either," he added, then thanked for the joint efforts and said: the commander cannot claim credit for the achievements  the commander can only represent the success the organisation has earned. János Zelenák gave the new commander some pieces of advice: he said patience, long term thinking, consistency and trust are essential to the fulfilment of their aims.

Gusztáv Micskey, the newly appointed commander said at the ceremony that he is to take over a functioning organisation with a great history. “I will do everything I can for the centre to stay on the road laid for me by my predecessors," he said, pointing out that the most important thing for him will be the interest of the entire GAVIK and to enhance the reputation earned with their achievements.

After the ceremony Brig.Gen. János Huszár, Chief of Land Force, DeputyCommander, HDF Joint Forces Command proposed a toast and said: one of the greatest merits of János Zelenák is that together with the senior staff of the organisation they have managed to transform practical experience in a way that it is now a modern and utilisable capability for both the Republic of Hungary and the alliance. "Personal expertise and the work done in the recent period are the best guarantees that the new deputy director of the Centre of Excellence can exert his influence on the profession in the future too. Moreover, the colonel also took care of his subordinates, always urging them to educate themselves and take every opportunity to improve. This attitude has led the centre to the level it is currently at," said the brigadier general.

Finally he told Gusztáv Micskey that his experience is also a guarantee that the centre will have a future.

The event ended with the presentation of gifts.