Defence minister addresses Berlin Security Conference
The world faces a new era of security and defence, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, told the Berlin Security Conference / 21th Congress on European Security and Defence on Thursday, the ministry said.
Threats appear in the form of war from the east and waves of illegal migration from the south, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at the event also addressed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Read alsoEvery effort must be made to avoid a direct armed conflict between NATO and Russia, says Hungarian FM in Bucharest
The strengthening of NATO is a common interest and Hungary’s position is that NATO is a defence alliance of independent states, and the alliance can only be built on strong national defence forces, he added. Hungary is carrying out one of the largest defence force developments in Hungarian history, involving the acquisition of new equipment and greater attention paid to personnel, to create a structurally modern and effective army, he added.
Additionally, developments in the country’s defence industry are aimed at creating a defence ecosystem involving innovation and building links with the international defence industry network, he said.
Hungary is a dedicated and reliable NATO ally, as proven by its participation in international operations, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. Hungary’s participation in international missions is among the highest in NATO, he added.
During his stay in Berlin, Szalay-Bobrovniczky held talks with counterpart Christine Lambrecht, Tobias Lindner, minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office, and several representatives of the Bundestag.
Read alsoThe presence of Russian spies in Hungary is at the maximum
Source: MTI
1 Comment
Hungary has neglected its national defense for 30+ years and relying on other countries (NATO) for its defense. A very bad idea. In the past few years Hungary has started modernizing its armed forces. Unfortunately, this process will take years to complete and the proposed force of 30,000 active troops is inadequate to defend the country. Hungary does not have an adequate number of actual combat troops. The force is top heavy, has too many old out of shape soldiers and the percentage of females (19%) is one of the highest in the world. Men and women are not interchangeable in combat. The same goes for weapons and equipment. The proposed build up is too slow and inadequate in numbers. The idea that you can defend the country and provide air support for Slovenia and the Baltic States with only 12 modern fixed wing combat planes is delusional. The proposed purchase of 12-56 modern tanks is also inadequate. Why can smaller and poorer countries (Serbia, Bulgaria for example) can afford hundreds of tanks but Hungary can’t? Hungary will regret its failure to pay for and provide for its defense. The country can’t afford to lose any more wars. One has to realize that a country may not be interested in war but sometimes war is interested in that country.