Peacekeeping Battalion Under Hungarian Command

With a view to supporting international peacekeeping and humanitarian activities, Hungary and Romania reached an agreement on March 20, 1998 in Budapest on the establishment of a high readiness, joint peacekeeping battalion. The command and control of the battalion is managed by NATO principles, and the two nations fill the key leader positions in annual rotations. The Hungarian module is provided by the HDF 5th Bocskai István Infantry Brigade 3rd Bercsényi Miklós Infantry Battalion, while the Romanian module by the 191st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of Arad.

In his speech delivered at the October 17 handover-takeover ceremony, Brig.-Gen. István Baráth, HDF Joint Force Command Logistic Forces Chief said that the peacekeeping procedures must be adapted to the quickly changing character of armed conflicts in the world, so that several new elements must be integrated into the upcoming exercises.

In accordance with this, they intend to plan the joint exercises by taking the latest challenges into account, Lt.-Col. László Fábián said. Based on his experience gained in the area of operations in Afghanistan, he added that “due to the dynamic and sharp changes, we need to train our commanders and soldiers so that they can handle any kind of new situation".