HUNGARIAN DEFENCE FORCES ONLINE

For the sixth time, the HDF Pápa Air Base is hosting the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course organised by the Multinational Helicopter Training Centre. Major Balázs Major is the first Hungarian pilot to assume the role of chief instructor on this course, which trains experienced helicopter pilots to become combat tactics instructors. On October 19, the course leaders held a professional development day in Pápa.Read more

Defence Minister Dr Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, and Ivan Anušić, Croatia’s Minister of Defence, held a friendly meeting in Lenti on October 15.Read more

The divers of the HDF 24th ISR Regiment took part in an international professional seminar recently held at Lake Garda in Italy, alongside technical divers and instructors from other nations. During the dives, the soldiers practiced emergency protocols in accordance with the DIR standard (which is regarded as the benchmark for technical diving), the use of various Nitrox gas mixtures, and learnt to use a side-mounted cylinder configuration.Read more

“The strength of a nation is demonstrated not only by how it preserves its present, but also by how it honours its past. Respecting our ancestors is a moral and human duty we all share,” said Major General Dr László Drót, commander of the HDF Territorial Defence and Military Augmentation Command, at a ceremony marking the completion of maintenance work at the Holy Spirit Military Cemetery in Székesfehérvár, co-organised by the German War Graves Commission and the Hungarian Defence Forces.Read more

The HDF’s Székesfehérvár garrison also took part in the fourth edition of the “Polish-Hungarian, One Blood” national blood donation campaign, which commemorates the solidarity and assistance shown by Poland during the 1956 Revolution and Freedom Fight. At the event, 59 soldiers and defence employees donated blood, resulting in nearly 27 litres being collected. This amount could help save the lives of approximately 117 people.Read more

On October 14, personnel from the HDF 37th Engineer Regiment welcomed the defence attachés accredited to Hungary at the Damjanich Barracks in Szentes. Diplomats from twelve nations accredited in Budapest reviewed the regiment’s finest assets: following the briefing by the commanding officer, they visited the unit museum, viewed the vehicle fleet, the maintenance workshop and the water purification equipment during a static display. They were able to try out the PTS-M tracked amphibious vehicle, and watched a dynamic demonstration of the PMP pontoon bridge kit.Read more

The two-day final exercise of the 48th International Military Observers’ Course got underway in Szolnok on October 14. During the examination, the blue-helmet soldiers must demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired over the past three weeks. If they pass and receive their UN-accredited certificate, the path to international peacekeeping missions will be open to them.Read more

Spain’s national holiday also draws attention to the importance of defence cooperation between Hungary and Spain, two committed NATO allies. At a reception held in Budapest to mark the occasion, General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of Defence, represented the Hungarian Defence Forces, further strengthening the significance of military-to-military relations between the two countries.Read more

On October 14 in Budapest, Dr Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Minister of Defence, held discussions with Matthew Whitaker, the US Ambassador to NATO, on the situation in Europe, the most important tasks facing NATO, Hungary’s intentions within the Alliance, and how to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of the GDP.Read more