Defence Minister: We cannot wait, Hungary must be combat-ready

Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the combat readiness of Hungary’s armed forces must be “the best at all times” in a video message posted on Facebook on Sunday.

Putting young commissioned and non-commissioned officers in command positions is “indispensable” for the enhancement of the armed forces’ combat readiness, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

Officers with modern training, international experience and a command of foreign languages are necessary to operate the cutting edge, digital equipment that the armed forces are getting, he said. The same kind of people are needed to apply combat techniques that can be learned in modern conflicts, he added.

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Commanders also need to be in top physical shape to ensure they can keep up with their troops, he said. Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that the armed forces have taken delivery of Leopard and Lynx armoured vehicles and will get radar systems of the kind used by Israel’s Iron Dome for air defence this year. He said a ten-year plan for the armed forces aims to bring the latest, world-class technologies to Hungary.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky acknowledged that Hungary can rely on the support of NATO, but said the country must be able to defend its borders or at least show enough deterrent power to prevent security threats. “That’s why we can’t wait, we can’t delay. The Hungarian armed forces must be in the best state of readiness in the shortest time possible,” he added.

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Source: MTI