Validation Exercise of NATO Force Integration Unit Hungary

Activated on 1 September 2016 and operating since as an International Military Command, with this exercise the NFIU HUN has reached one of the most significant milestones in its history. The objective of the computer assisted exercise “PRECISE RECEPTION 2017" was to assess the readiness of the staff of NFIU HUN to perform its core missions, of which the most important is to provide Reception, Staging and Onward Movement (RSOM) support for the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) and other incoming allied forces.

“As NATO’s forward headquarters in space and time, the NATO Force Integration Unit Hungary gives priority to facilitating the effective, rapid and smooth deployment of the NATO VJTF and other high readiness NRF elements. Therefore, during the exercise, we laid great emphasis on testing and enhancing the efficiency of cooperation, interoperability and information flow among NFIU HUN directorates and incoming allied forces as much as possible", NFIU HUN Commander Col. László Garas stated.

The exercise did not involve the arrival of real forces or any troop movements. Based on a fictitious scenario, the staff of NFIU HUN practiced the tasks related to RSOM support of NATO forces in a crisis situation in Hungary. Over the three days, the 83 injects on the main events/incidents list (MEL/MIL) truly reflected the complex problems that may arise in real-world situations, which enabled the participants to test and improve the NFIU HUN procedures and operational updates in a comprehensive way.

Director of Evaluation (DIREVAL) Col. István Birovecz, Head of Exercise Planning and Training Support Branch, HDF Military Augmentation, Preparation and Training Command summarized the lessons learned in the four days as follows: “The staff of NFIU HUN can be proud of the work they have done in the interest of executing the validation exercise."

He added that the exercise provided a credible picture about how well NFIU HUN can handle its tasks related to the support of the VJTF and other high readiness allied forces to be deployed in Hungary in a crisis situation. The highly skilled staff of NFIU HUN also demonstrated that they are able to cooperate with the designated NATO and Host Nation military commands even during a real operation.

During the exercise, both the NATO and the Host Nation chains of command were implemented through role-playing. The Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) sent staff officers to the NATO team of the directing staff (DISTAFF), whereas a German liaison officer assigned to the HDF Joint Force Command and a senior officer from the US Office of Defense Cooperation Budapest acted as role-players on the exercise. Computer simulation was provided by the HDF Bakony Combat Training Centre.