Hungary Is a Committed NATO Ally

The spectacular dynamic show was attended by President of Hungary János Áder, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende and Chief of Defence Gen. Tibor Benkő PhD. At a press briefing held after the show, Minister Hende said that 1,800 troops and 600 pieces of equipment participated in the exercise, representing 32 NATO and partner countries. The Minister added that with this exercise Hungary clearly demonstrates its commitment as a NATO Ally.

The defence policy of the government of Hungary is clear: we fufil all our commitments made at the Wales Summit, and will significantly increase the defence budget already in this year and next year. According to a budgetary proposal submitted to the National Assembly, the defence budget is to be increased by 22 per cent (approx. HUF 50 billion) next year. The security and defence of our country are based on Hungary’s strength and allied cooperation.

Hungary demonstrates its commitment to the Alliance as a host nation during the ongoing exercise, which also contributes to strengthening multinational military relations. Minister Hende stated that Exercise Capable Logistician 2015 is an excellent opportunity to train and prepare the forces for coalition operations, so exercises like the present one all increase the defence capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces. He added that the planning of the exercise had started well before the crisis arose in Ukraine.

Minister Hende emphasized that protection of the natural values in the largest Central European training area had been a priority all along the exercise, just like environmental awareness and the protection of the environment. The CL15 exercise was also unique because the armed forces were executing various logistic tasks involving civilian companies. Besides, for the first time in NATO’s history, the soldiers’ power supply is provided with the use of alternative energy sources in cooperation with civilian experts, in the spirit of the Smart Energy concept.

The exercise contributes and belongs to the validation/evaluation process of the EU Battle Group of the V4 countries to be set up and placed on standby in the first half of 2016 (V4 EUBG 16/1). The Minister of Defence said that he was convinced by what he saw. He stated that the Hungarian troops and those of other participating nations have all been excellently trained for executing their tasks.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Sorin Ducaru welcomed the participants on behalf of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the NATO community, and thanked Hungary for the excellent circumstances it provided as a host nation. In emphasizing the importance of exercises like this one, he pointed out that it is a good opportunity to test multinational interoperability, and the work done here – the basis of this year’s other exercise Trident Junction – has fundamental significance in further developing and improving logistic capabilities. Exercise Director Col. Jan Husák also thanked the participants and Hungary.

Exercise Capable Logistician 2015 lasts until June 26.

We fulfill all commitments

After the press briefing, in answering to a question from the press, Minister Hende said that the two recent accidents involving Gripen aircraft do not cause any difficulties in the air policing activity in Slovenian airspace, because this mission is being performed by the QRA units of the Hungarian Air Force from Kecskemét Air Base. Speaking about the Baltic Air Policing Mission which is to be conducted between September and December, Minister Hende stated that we maintain our commitments and will fulfill them completely. At the same time, this does not mean that we don’t need any measures, modifications, rescheduling and possibly the help of our Swedish partners because of the unexpected accidents. Minister Hende said that the Hungarian contribution to the V4 EU Battle Group which is to enter service between January 1 and June 30, 2016 – in particular, the close air support (CAS) involving Gripens – also requires modification of the training program. “We will fulfill this commitment of ours too", the Minister said.

Minister Hende emphasized that these two tasks have necessitated and facilitated significant developments in the Gripen capability. One of these is, for instance, the practice of aerial refueling, the NVG equipment of pilot helmets and the generation of an air-ground strike capability, which is funded with HUF 3.5 billion by the government from separate sources. The latter capability will be a unique capability of the Hungarian Air Force in the region. The Minister added that the training for the aerial refueling capability will take place in the near future, and as one of our two-seater fighter jets was destroyed in the accident in the Czech Republic, our Swedish partners have offered to provide us with a two-seater aircraft for the duration of the training. The two accidents are being investigated by independent authorities, and when these investigations are completed, the Ministry of Defence will publish the final results in full detail. Minister Hende added that at the Prime Minister’s request, he had informed the government about the current state of the investigations on Wednesday.

Photo: Tünde Rácz