In his welcome speech delivered at the military officers’ commissioning ceremony held on Saturday, 20th August outside Parliament building in Kossuth Lajos Square, Minister of Defence István Simicskó emphasized that “the Hungarian state is a fixed point in a changing world”.

Mr. Simicskó underlined that national defence is “our real national cause”, and that we all share the responsibility of preserving our culture, language, national values, identity and state.

Nevertheless, defence of the country is, first and foremost, a duty of the Hungarian Defence Forces – and, from now on, also of the young military officers taking an oath on Saturday, he added.

The minister said that looking back on history, we can identify the military profession as the only permanent duty with the same mission at all times, which is the protection of Hungarian people and Hungary’s security.

“This is what these soldiers swearing an oath during today’s commissioning ceremony are undertaking to fulfil”, Minister Simicskó added.

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The minister of defence thanked the freshly commissioned officers for having chosen this career and for standing their ground. Speaking about the latter, he emphasized that over the last one year, they have not only done so at their university exams, but also while they contributed to protecting Hungary’s borders.

Several new security challenges have emerged by now. For example, in the last one year alone, there has been mass migration and an increase in the number of terrorist attacks. In addition, we are living in an age of information warfare.  It is often the case that there is no declaration of war or armed fighting, because in the age of modern warfare, it is sufficient to switch on computers and smartphones to launch an offensive, the minister emphasized.

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István Simicskó went on saying that the state has been established to guarantee the security of the country and its citizens.

Hungary is a state that is “doing its best to cooperate, is a reliable friend and ally”. Nonetheless, “it would like to live and prosper”. The most important thing is to guarantee the security of Hungary and its people, the minister concluded, pointing out that in order to achieve this goal, it is essential to strengthen the Hungarian Defence Forces.

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István Simicskó pointed out that the defence budget will increase more than twofold in the coming years, the defence industry will be revitalized, and the Volunteer Reservist System will be developed and built on new foundations by involving the civilian society. The system of military intelligence and military police will be strengthened, and Hungary’s role in international missions will be continued. Furthermore, as a token of appreciation, the already ongoing salary rise for soldiers will be carried on too, the minister of defence explained.

This year 104 officer cadets took their military oath in front of Parliament building in Kossuth Square. As part of the ceremony, continuing the Ludovika tradition revived in 2011, they added weight to the oath by drawing their swords with a shout “For the homeland unto death!”.

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During the event – besides President of the Republic János Áder, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér, Minister of Defence István Simicskó, Chief of Defence Tibor Benkő as well as several representatives of governmental, state and military organizations and diplomatic corps – hundreds of visitors watched the commissioning ceremony of military officers.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)