Tight Security Measures On Maneuvers Deployment Direction

Tight security measures: the EOD experts of the Guard Regiment of the republic, bomb detecting dogs, and security personnel wearing suits and sunglasses, and radio transmitters-receivers in their ears, checked the photographic and television cameras of journalists before the visit of the head of government to the most extensive training event of the Hungarian Defence Forces this year, maneuvres Deployment Direction 2008.

Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány was accompanied by the minister of defence, Dr. Imre Szekeres to the exercise ground and shooting range near Veszprém, where almost 2,000 soldiers have been participating since late August in the largest scale exercise of the Hungarian Defence Forces this year.

The former chiefs of the defence staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the chairmen of the counties’ defence committees, representatives of other armed forces, as well as the mayors of the towns in the vicinity of the exercise ground were also invited to the visitors’ day. But the military attachés accredited to Hungary also visited the site, and naturally, the heads of the ministries attended the event as well. Thus Dr. Ágnes Vadai, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence was also present.

The high ranking guests were received with military honours in front of the ’zero point’ inspection tower by General András Havril, MoD Chief of Defence Staff, and Lieutenant General (Eng.) László Tömböl, Commander of HDF Joint Forces Command (HDF JFC), then Minister Imre Szekeres opened the visitors’ day.

The defence minister told the visitors: the current maneuvers are the fourth Deployment Direction tactical exercise in a row, in the scope of which the corps and troops of the Hungarian Defence Forces demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. This exercise is an opportunity to assess how prepared the troops are, and to perfect tactical-operational procedures, methods.

In the framework of the exercise, the assigned forces and troops are given the opportunity to demonstrate the deployment readiness of the battalion combat team offered to NATO, in the course of fulfilling their national defence tasks. In addition to that, an opportunity has arisen for the Joint Forces Command to gain experience on how it could strenghten the cooperation of air, land, and logistics units.

"Just like every year, tactical exercise Deployment Direction is now based on a fictitious situation again. Its purpose is to check the operation of the forces offered to NATO, which have reached the level of deployment readiness. In other words, the exercise is aimed at demonstrating what these forces are capable of in order to defend Hungary with arms. I am certain that the forces presented here will prove that the corps of the Hungarian Defence Forces are able and ready to defend the country" – told Imre Szekeres.

On the visitors’ day dynamic demonstration, the battalion combat team based on the infantry battalion strengthened with a tank platoon and an armour-piercing rocket battery, demonstrated halting and driving back armed enemy forces intruding the country. The battalion combat team was supported by an artillery battery on land, and from the air by a squad consisting of four Mi–24 combat helicopters, and three Gripen fighters.

At the end of the spectacular forty-minute demonstation, HDF JFC Deputy Commander Major General Tibor Benkõ, who also acted as the narrator, said: the battalion combat group has completed its task, it has repelled the enemy behind the original borderline. Following that, it has reloaded its forces in order to be ready to drive back another possible hostile attack.

Following the ’battle’, which was fought in the air and on land, the personnel of the battalion combat team were greeted by Ferenc Gyurcsány. Upon assessing their work, the prime minister said: at the moment, Hungary is not endangered by a direct military challenge. Nevertheless, we must face a number of security problems indirectly.

"In recent years, the Hungarian Defence Forces have gone through a significant transformation process, which has been managed by the leaders of the military with success" – said Ferenc Gyurcsány, and added: the Hungarian Defence Forces need calmness and developments. Calmness, for the organizational restructurization has already taken place, and developments, in order to provide better conditions for the corps, and to ensure that Hungarian soldiers do not lag behind their fellow soldiers serving in allied militaries.

The prime minister also underlined that in the budget for next year, more funds will be earmarked for the Ministry of Defence, thus the Hungarian Defence Forces as well. It is necessary to increase the budget since peace does not come for free.

"Based on what I have seen, I believe you are prepared for your tasks. Yet I, as a civilian, cannot judge that properly. Perhaps it is more important than my commendation, that our guests have highly esteemed your performance" – told the prime minister upon finishing his address.

At the end of the visitors’ day, General András Havril and Lieutenant General László Tömböl held a press conference, where they have told the journalists that this year’s tactical exercise was a sequel to Deployment Direction 2007, and the first such exercise was held in 2005. Back then, they were demonstrating the armed forces’ tasks stipulated in legal provisions, their capabilities, and the module-system organizational structure of the battalion and the brigade for the professional and civil audience.

In 2006, maneuvers Deployment Direction were built on the application options of the operative brigade based on module units. This exercise was a preparation for the Hungarian Defence Forces’ commitment in Afghanistan, in other words, the deployment of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. In addition to that, another target was to check and demonstrate the capabilities offered to NATO – that of force protection and limited military police capability –, MILES simulation system was used for the first time in the framework of the exercise, and since then, it has been an important basic instrument in the training of soldiers.

Last year, the key target of the exercise was to examine the uniform command-control system of HDF Joint Forces Command (established following the military reform) and the subordinate military organizations in action. In addition to that, in the previous year, so-called crisis reaction operations to be solved in peaceful conditions had an important role as well. Among these tasks, the exercise schedule included the practice of managing crisis situations in the first place, that is protection against floods, acting in industrial disasters, considerable environmental damage, and serious traffic accidents.

"We have decided back then that in 2008, we would be presenting the tasks of national defence, and its basis, the battalion combat team at maneuvers Deployment Direction" – emphasized General András Havril, who also told that in this years’ exercise, 1,914 soldiers and 400 technical and combat instruments have participated in total, with a budget of HUF 530 million.

The personnel participating in maneuvers Deployment Direction 2008 are to begin the relocation from the exercise ground and shooting range to the peace-garrisons at the end of the week. The technical equipments and the troops will be transported by rail and on road from Veszprém.