Defence minister opens new barracks on southern border

Hercegszántó (MTI) – Defence Minister István Simicskó inaugurated new barracks in Hercegszanto, near Hungary’s southern border, that will house soldiers carrying out border protection duties there.

The facility opened on Monday is the fourth of its kind. Each one is capable of housing 150 soldiers and will make Hungary’s border protection efforts more effective, Simicskó told reporters at the site.

Up until now, soldiers serving on the border had stayed either in barracks slightly further north in Hódmezővásárhely or Kaposvár or in rental apartments, the minister noted. Housing the units in the new bases will make them more easily deployable in case of any changes on the border, he added.

Simicskó thanked the Austrian technical contingent that had contributed to the construction of the four bases and the roads connecting them.

Currently there are around 3,000 soldiers performing patrol duties on the southern border, the minister said.

Photo: Károly Árvai / Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister

Source: MTI