Transfer of Authority Ceremony in Kosovo
Szöveg: 1st Lt. Béla Papp (KFOR-9) | 2013. augusztus 26. 12:33The soldiers of the HDF KFOR-9 rotation have some busy weeks behind them. But the lot of work involved in the handover-takeover process has borne its fruit, since they were able to organize the change-of-command ceremony on August 20 – Hungary’s national holiday –, after a successfully executed Full Operational Capability (FOC) exercise.
In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Lt.-Col. Nándor Kiss talked about Hungary’s national holiday. He thanked the KFOR-8 contingent for its work, and wished the KFOR-9 contingent every success in its service in Kosovo. The ceremony continued with the handover of the unit colors, where Maj. Zsolt Szalai, the commander of the outgoing KFOR-8 contingent handed over the flag to Lt.-Col. Attila Kovács, the commander of the KFOR-9 contingent. The first half of the event closed with a parade march.
When the contingents left the square, the soldiers of the Portuguese–Hungarian KFOR Tactical Reserve Maneuver Battalion (KTM) lined up into a joint formation and went to occupy their fixed position on the parade ground, led by KTM Deputy Commander Maj. Árpád Szász. During the handover-takeover between the deputy commanders on the parade ground, Maj. József Gál, the new deputy commander of the KTM took command of the subunit, and then reported on assuming his position to Lt.-Col. Paulo Cordeiro, the commander of the KTM. With this, the KFOR-9 rotation officially reached Full Operational Capability.
The commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces Joint Force Command awarded a memento to KTM Chief of Staff Maj. João Machado in recognition of his work done in the interest of the battalion’s effectiveness. Several members of the contingent received NCO and enlisted personnel’s service medals after five and ten years, and WO Attila Mészáros was given the gold grade of the Service Medal. Lóránt Balla, Hungary’s ambassador to Kosovo honored the ceremony with his presence.
The modest ceremony is significant because Hungarian soldiers form the tactical reserve force of the KFOR Headquarters, filling a quite important role in the organization.
