Tour of Duty Abroad in Individual Positions

Szöveg: Gábor Kálmánfi | 2011. november 17. 16:15

The troops to deploy in the Balkans Joint Operations Area (JOA) and Congo were bidden farewell to at the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) in Székesfehérvár on Wednesday, November 9. Eleven troops commence their service in Kosovo from December, twenty-two in Bosnia-Herzegovina and one in Congo.

Brig.-Gen. János Huszár, Deputy Commander and Land Forces Chief, HDF JFC said farewell to the personnel leaving to fill individual positions in the Balkan JOA and the EU advisory and assistance mission for security reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (EUSEC RD CONGO).

In his speech, the brigadier-general noted that today peacekeeping has changed security and defence policies and defence reforms all over the world.

He pointed out that Hungary is committed to the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkan states and to create the stability required to attain that goal.

He added that a proof of this commitment is the fact that many of the Hungarian troops on missions abroad are serving with the NATO- and EU-led crisis response operations conducted in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“The peace in the Balkans, which has been enforced by great efforts and sacrifices, is very fragile. Therefore, participation in the ongoing stabilization operations around the region is a priority for us. Home defence is a national cause, and crisis management and stabilization in the hot spots around the world is a national interest.", János Huszár said.

The deputy commander concluded his speech by drawing attention to the fact that the Hungarian troops’ voluntarily undertaken mission is “not without dangers".

“You are going to deploy in countries with traces of decades-long war, where tension is high even these days. For this reason, your work demands continuous concentration, discipline and precise task execution. I ask you to familiarize yourself with the local circumstances as soon as possible after your arrival, so you can execute your tasks smoothly", this was how the Land Forces Chief bade farewell to the personnel to depart.