Supreme Allied Commander Europe Visits Budapest

Gen. Philip M. Breedlove is an active F–16 pilot with more than 3500 flying hours under his belt. On May 13, 2013 he assumed command of NATO Allied Command Operations (ACO) as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), so this is the first time he is visiting Hungary in this position.

Like the rest of the world, we are encouraged by the options that have opened up for dealing with the chemical weapons issue in Syria. Many countries, including the United States and many organizations, including NATO are currently considering these options, the general said, referring to the situation that has developed in Syria over the last few days and weeks. In this phase of the negotiations, however, it would be too early to predict the possible outcome. NATO is concerned about defending a neighbor of Syria, Turkey, where the allied forces deploy Patriot missile and air defence systems to protect the airspace, territory and population of that member state.

Afghanistan will be top of the agenda at the plenary session of the Military Committee Conference on Saturday, September 14 in Budapest. The general stressed that there had not been any decision taken as yet about the exact strength of the NATO forces to deploy in Afghanistan after 2014, and that operational planning was under way. The member states can start finalizing their decisions about the troop contributions, which will include concrete troop numbers as well. Gen. Breedlove pointed out that NATO stays committed to Afghanistan, and that after 2014 the allied troops would be deployed there in a training, advisory and supporting role.

Gen. Tibor Benkő, the Chief of the Defence Staff reaffirmed the above. The intention Hungary expressed and the message it sent to NATO’s military leaders are clear and unambiguous. Hungary is determined to continue working together with the Alliance. It has started withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, as the HUN PRT finished its activities in this spring, and the soldiers performing force protection duties at Kabul International Airport will also be withdrawn in the autumn. At the same time, the Hungarian Defence Forces will continue to play an important role in Afghanistan in the fields of education, training and mentoring. The Hungarian personnel of the HDF Special Operations Contingent will continue serving in the theatre of war.

Hungary attaches importance to every occasion and event where it can demonstrate its capabilities. The conference being held in Budapest is at once a recognition of the work done by the Hungarian Defence Forces. Last year, when Gen. Benkő announced that Hungary would undertake to organize NATO’s most important military conference, all Chiefs of Defence unanimously voted for Budapest as the host capital. This is a significant success of military diplomacy.

Photos: Mária Krasznai-Nehrebeczky