International military exercise to start in Hungary

Budapest, January 11 (MTI) – An international military exercise dubbed Varpalota Challenge 2016 will start in western Hungary on Monday and run for over a month, the defence ministry said.

The exercise, commanded by Dutch officers and ending on February 21, will give Hungarian troops an opportunity to practise tasks that are part of international support for NATO forces. The exercise is meant to strengthen Dutch-Hungarian military links within NATO, the ministry said in a statement.

The Dutch officers will be paid for their stay in Hungary, it added.

Hungarian troops took over the mission of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Baghlan, Afghanistan from the Netherlands in October 2006. Soldiers from the two countries have served together in numerous NATO and EU missions, including in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Somalia. Holland is one of 12 countries that established the Heavy Airlift Wing at the Papa Air Base in western Hungary, the ministry said.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters