Speaking at the annual assessment and tasking conference of leaders of the Hungarian Defence Forces, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó emphasized that the goal is to ensure that the Hungarian Defence Forces become a major military force in the region by 2026.

Dr. István Simicskó said that the government has already made a decision to strengthen the Hungarian Defence Forces continuously and to increase the defence budget by 0.1 per cent of the GDP year by year.

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Thanks to the strengthening Hungarian economy, there is now such a possibility for the development of the Hungarian Defence Forces that has not existed for 25 years. A medium- and long-term concept has been worked out and the most comprehensive force development program of the last quarter of a century is about to be launched, thanks to which the Hungarian Defence Forces will be built on a new foundation and be able to give adequate responses to present and future challenges to security.

At the conference, the Minister of Defence disclosed the details of the Zrínyi 2026 national defence and armed forces development program. Among the priorities are the modernization of the soldiers’ individual equipment, including their clothing and weapons, and the development of the aircraft and helicopter capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF). In addition to the procurement of aircraft for the HDF, the minister also noted that following their overhaul, four HDF helicopters are expected to return by May, and two additional light helicopters has been added to the fleet as well.

Besides, work has already been started for the revival of the Hungarian defence industry, and the plans also contain the development of communication and information systems (CIS). The minister pointed out that while the conventional military challenges must also be met, there is  a continuous increase in the number of cyber attacks. The weapons of the Information Age are becoming more easily available, so almost anyone can use them. That said, the environment of the country is changing a lot, the minister noted, citing as examples the migration crisis situation and the terror attacks against Europe. At the same time, István Simicskó pointed out that Hungary is a fixed point in this changing world. Hungary – notably, the soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces – has successfully protected the borders of the  country and the Hungarian citizens. 

More than 15,000 soldiers have so far been and are currently deployed in border protection tasks.  Besides, last year they have participated in 40 international exercises. Moreover, some 1000 troops have performed outstandingly in foreign missions and the rest of the service personnel during the performance of their daily duties in the barracks.

According to the minister of defence, the Hungarian Defence Forces have closed a successful and fruitful year in 2016. Besides the soldiers, he thanked the commanders of all units, and, among others, Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő – who was also in attendance at the conference –, Lt.-Gen. József Kovács, Director-General of the Military National Security Service, and Lajos Kósa, Fidesz party chairman of the national defence and law enforcement committee of the Parliament.

István Simicskó also reaffirmed President of Hungary János Áder’s statement that security is an indispensable part of our existence, and must be worked for every day. The Hungarian Defence Forces are responsible for guaranteeing the citizens of the country an adequate level of security by proper  means. At the same time, he noted that the community of people taking responsibility must be expanded, and it is important that children grow up in this spirit as well.

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He said that the national defence portion of the Zrínyi 2026 program is based on the idea that “defence of the homeland is a national cause”, and that anyone volunteering to participate in it should be given opportunity to do so. This has a significant bearing on the renewal of the system of volunteer reserve. Currently there are some 5300 reservists, and according to plans, their numbers would increase on a territorial basis. The goal is to establish a volunteer reserve unit in each of the 197 districts of the country.

According to the minister, this will significantly enhance the security of the country and will also have an important character-building role in education. In this regard, the minister has great expectations of the National Defence Sport Association formed in January, because he thinks that through sports it is easier to reach young people.

In addition, holding the soldiers in high esteem is considered one of the most important tasks in the future too. Speaking about this, István Simicskó noted that the pay rise is going to continue, so the soldiers’ salary has already increased by 40 per cent since 2015. The system of health damage support was introduced in January this year, and the HDF orphan support system too was expanded in January. The HDF scholarship system has also been expanded, so the Ministry of Defence now offers the young applicants as many as 18 different scholarship programs, the minister of defence added.

(MTI)