A Hectic Week in Brussels

The Military Committees of the EU and NATO held meetings in Brussels, on the first days of the week, on May 15-16, in which the Member States were represented by the highest ranking military leaders. In the absence of Chief of Defence General Dr. Tibor Benkő, the Hungarian delegation was led by Lieutenant General Dr. Zoltán Orosz, the Head of the Office of the Hungarian Military Representative to NATO.

On the first day of the sessions, in the EU Military Committee’s session, the Chiefs of Defence of the EU Member States received briefings on the state of the implementation of the EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy, and the related capability development objectives and processes. They reviewed – as the regular items on the agenda -, the results and the future of the operations and missions undertaken in the framework of EU. The issues of the cooperation with NATO and the United Nations were put before the Committee with a priority emphasis.

The sessions of NATO Military Committee took place on May 16, chaired for the last time by General Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the Military Committee, because as from July General Sir Stuart Peach, the current Chief of Staff of the UK will take over this position. In addition, the meeting was attended by General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, SACEUR, and General Denis Mercier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, SACT.

Following the opening remarks of Ms. Rose Gottemoeller, in the first section, the chiefs of defence took stock of the status of the implementation of the measures against the Southern security challenges, and the further possibilities of the NATO’s Iraqi training and capability development. In what follows, the Military Committee drew up a proposal in the issues of deterrence and defence, among others in the fields of the reinforcement of the SACEUR’s area of responsibilities, military mobility, and improvement of NATO’s early warning and alarm system. In connection with the chiefs-of-defence meeting, they discussed the topics related to NATO’S modernisation.

The travelling exhibition “170 years of the Hungarian Defence Forces" opened on May 17 in the Balassi Institute in Brussels. The members, chairmen and vice chairmen of NATO and the EU Military Committees and the representatives of NATO Allied Commanders Operations and Transformation in Brussels received invitation for the opening ceremony. In his speech Lieutenant Dr. Zoltán Orosz spoke highly of the significance of the event, and emphasised the importance of preserving the traditions. In what follows, the high-level exhibition was opened by His Excellency Mr. Zoltán Nagy, the Ambassador of Hungary in Belgium.

The Office of the Military Representative of Hungary celebrated recently, on February 1, the 20th anniversary of its establishment in the “old" NATO Headquarters, and on May 17 it moved – as part of the Hungarian Permanent Delegation to NATO – to the new NATO Headquarters. As is known, NATO had been operating for fifty one years since 1967 in its old object, and the leading personnel of the Alliance will continue their activity in the building complex providing 21st century living and working conditions.

May 18, the personnel of the Office of the Military Representative of Hungary celebrated the Day of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and commemorated the heroes of the 1848/49 Revolution and Freedom Fight in a staff-meeting already at the new location. After the festive speech, the awards were presented.