At the annual conference of defence, military and air attachés held in Budapest, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó announced that, in the spirit of strengthening its activity in military diplomacy, Hungary is going to open a new military attaché office in Zagreb this year, and another three in Bratislava, Prague and Skopje next year.

In his presentation for the military attachés, Mr. Simicskó underlined that our security environment has significantly changed in the last period, and Europe has entered a new era. Brexit – Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union – is a consequence of “modern-day mass migration”, the minister said. In his opinion, this decision alone may significantly shape Europe’s future. “Furthermore, in connection with the current wave of migration, the terrorist threat level of Europe has increased”, the minister stated, noting that the Paris and Brussels attacks are a proof of this claim.

The Minister of Defence pointed out that the European Judeo-Christian civilization has so far been an important foundation for the continent in the economic and military realms. Faith and religion are powerful indeed, the minister emphasized, adding that we “may get into serious trouble” if Europe lost its faith.

He also stressed the importance of a package of counter-terrorism measures that the government of Hungary recently approved in the light of the changing security environment. As part of these measures, it has set up a new organization – the Counter-Terrorism Information and Criminal Analysis Centre (TIBEK) – with the mission of providing assistance with gathering precise and up-to-date information and of using it in the fight against terrorism. In addition, the Fundamental Law of Hungary has recently been amended to include “a state of terrorist threat” as a new special element of the legal order. Once it is declared, the designated units of the Hungarian Defence Forces can also help the work of the police if the need arises.

István Simicskó also told his audience that the government of Hungary is ready to attend the NATO Summit to be held in Warsaw at the weekend, and will inform the member states about all the goals that it considers important in the interest of the security of our country, and also about the possible ways for Hungary to effectively participate in the future in guaranteeing the security of the Alliance, and consequently its own security.

He stated that besides our membership in NATO and the EU, “the role of the V4 countries has never been as significant as these days”. Mr. Simicskó said that in the recent period, we have intensified cooperation with the countries of the Visegrád Cooperation (Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland), with special regard to the migration crisis. Moreover, the V4 countries intend to cooperate more closely with the Baltic states, he added, noting that they recently made a decision about contributing a company-sized force to strengthen the defence of the Baltics.

The Minister of Defence told the military attachés that Hungary considers their diplomatic activity indispensable, and their reports are a great help for the government of Hungary in making strategic and day-to-day decisions. Speaking about Hungary’s role in military operations abroad, István Simicskó said that the stability of the Western Balkans continues to be of key importance. For this reason, Hungary will maintain its troop levels in the foreign missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, and, in accordance with the decision made by NATO, it will carry on with its military engagement in Afghanistan as well.

He referred to the fact that the Hungarian Defence Forces have undergone a number of “reforms” since the change of regime, which characteristically involved their downsizing,

but their modernization did not take place. Thus, István Simicskó believes that “the Hungarian Defence Forces must be renewed”. He pointed out that they also have to prepare for cyber warfare on an increasing scale in the 21st century, which also necessitates the modernization of military equipment.

In connection with this, István Simicskó noted that the government has undertaken to increase its defence spending by 0.1 per cent of the GDP every year, which makes it possible to implement significant capability development projects in the Hungarian Defence Forces, as laid down in a ten-year development plan for 2016–2026. The Minister said that the increasing resources must be used efficiently and rationally, and that the improvement of the personnel’s living conditions must always be kept in mind throughout the modernization process of their equipment and assets.

Speaking about the planned capability development projects, he mentioned the territorial organization of the volunteer reservist system and the stimulation of Hungary’s defence industry. As for the latter, he asked the military attachés to inform him about the international models to be followed, and share their views on the possibilities of developing the defence industry in Hungary.

At the conference held in the building of the Military National Security Service (MNSS), József Kovács, the director-general of the Service drew attention to the fact that the military attachés’ role is essential for cooperation in the fields of security and defence policy and military-to-military relations, which serves the interests of the Ministry of Defence, the Hungarian Defence Forces and actually those of Hungary. He informed his audience that in 2015 and 2016, a number of diplomatic posts have been created, and besides the establishment of the four new offices, the system of training and preparation is to be further improved in the future.

Speaking at the conference, the director-general also revealed that the development of military equipment has already started in the reconnaissance battalion. As a result of the yearslong development projects that are scheduled to be completed until 2017, the MNSS has the organizational structure and technology that enable it to perform the cyber defense tasks of the Hungarian Defence Forces. He went on saying that according to plans, the military secret service will relocate to its new central building in 2018.

(MTI)