“Proper Medical Support Expands The Capabilities Of The Alliance”

On September 19, an inauguration ceremony was held in the HDF Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine, the first international military organization in Hungary that was accredited by the NATO.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was in Hungary on an official visit, was also invited to the event, but he had to cancel his afternoon program – due to the meeting of the heads of state and prime ministers of the European Union – and fly back to Brussels earlier than it was planned originally.

Minister of Defence Dr. Imre Szekeres, General (eng.) László Tömböl, MoD Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Forces Trainer of the NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation – who were received by military honours in front of the building of the Centre of Excellence –, and Brigadier General (med.) Dr. András Németh, Commander, HDF ’Dr. György Radó’ Military Medical Centre were present at the ceremony.

The event began with the parade of the flags of the nations that participate in the activities of the centre of excellence, followed by the welcome speech of Imre Szekeres. The defence minister underlined that the opening of the centre of excellence is a major event for the Hungarian Defence Forces. The establishment of the centre indicates that the NATO has taken an important step ahead, and new horizons are opening for cooperation within the Alliance.

– With their high scientific standards, the NATO Centres of Excellence provide an example for the whole Alliance. We consider it the recognition of the Hungarian Defence Forces, Hungarian military health care, that as of today, the NATO Centre of Excellence for Militay Medicine is operational in Budapest – said Imre Szekeres, adding that the Budapest facility is the nineteenth NATO Centre of Excellence, but at the same time it is the first and only one in the field of health care. Hungarian military medicine has deservedly earned the recognition of the Alliance. It is not a coincidence that this institution was founded in the Hungarian capital. In addition to Hungarians, five NATO member states – Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Romania – have already joined the centre.

The defence minister emphasized: Hungary plays a remarkably active role in the Alliance in facilitating multinational cooperation, the essence of which is that participating nations obtain capabilities they could not obtain alone, relying on their own resources.

– For today, health care has become one of the most important factors of military operations. Any soldier on duty in any operational area must receive the same quality of treatment he or she receives at home. This centre will provide training for the medical units of the NATO and it will also provide experts for the medical planning of NATO exercises – said Imre Szekeres, underlining: in order that the nations can work together, there is a need for common rules, doctrines, concepts. Their elaboration will be another very important field of the activity of the centre. Their third responsibility is to facilitate the process that helps to remove the obstacles to cooperation.

Following that, the defence minister mentioned that it happened in 2002, at the Prague summit, that the NATO started the transformation of the Alliance, a renewal process planned for a longer term. And this April, on the sixtieth anniversary of the Alliance they have decided that there is a need for a new strategic concept, since the point of the transformation is to enable the Alliance to answer the challenges of the 21st century.

Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, who delivered a speech after the Hungarian defence minister, said: the transformation of the NATO is important not only because it strengthens the efficiency of the Alliance, but it also improves the quality of the preparation of the soldiers. Therefore centres of excellence for military medicine are one of the most important tools of transformation, since they provide an opportunity to improve training and education standards. Moreover, they provide a real opportunity to help the development of doctrines.

– The centre offers sustainable support in military medicine. Those participating in the restoration of health pursue a very important activity. Proper medical support expands the capabilities of the Alliance, enabling it to carry out proper operations – said the lieutenant general, also mentioning that the centre of excellence guarantees mutual support in military medicine. The work of the centre is of key importance in providing proper medical care for the troops in missions.

Following his speech, Lt.Gen. Viereck handed over the NATO flag to Colonel (med.) Dr. István Kopcsó, Director of the HDF Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine. After waving the flag, Col. Kopcsó said: he would like to look back to the past period not as a military officer or a director but as a man who has been working on he unique program of the Hungarian Defence Forces and military medicine in the last two years, and today, when they received the NATO flag, this program has become reality.

The director of the centre of excellence added: there will not be much time for celebration because of the tasks waiting for the organization.

– As of today, the centre is ready to fulfil its mission: to be an engine and a central player in the medical transformation of the NATO. I am delighted to be able to report that we possess every set of equipment we need in order to accomplish our task – said Col. Kopcsó, adding that he hopes that in the near future, new nations will join the six nations that already participate in the work of the centre.

Following thorough preparatory works, the Budapest-based HDF Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine was founded on November 1, 2008 by the defence minister, with the official support of the Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services, the highest medical organ of the NATO. In June 2009, the Supreme Allied Command Transformation conducted an assessment that is a prerequisite of NATO accreditation. In August, the Military Committee of the NATO officially supported the NATO qualification of the centre, and following that, on October 12 the North Atlantic Council accredited and activated the centre of excellence.