Defense minister flags new commands in Hungary
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Defence Minister Tibor Benkő assessed progress made towards establishing two military commands for NATO in Hungary and held talks with his German counterpart after a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels on Friday.
Hungary has sent a letter signed jointly with Croatia to NATO’s secretary general informing Jens Stoltenberg about plans to establish a Multinational Division Command for Central Europe in Hungary, Benkő told reporters after the two-day meeting.
The new command would give Hungary a decisive role in guaranteeing security in the region, the minister said.
Integrated with NATO’s command structure, it would also enhance capabilities, he said.
Further, Hungary and Croatia signed a letter of understanding together with Slovakia and Slovenia on setting up a Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) in central Hungary, Benkő noted.
Headquartered in Szolnok, R-SOCC will be tasked with training the four NATO countries’ special operations troops, Benkő said. Austria, which is not member of NATO, has already indicated its intention to join R-SOCC’s work, he added.
To have a “decisive role” in guaranteeing security in the region, Hungary needs a much larger military. An armed force of only 30,000 is not adequate to ensure security of the region it is even inadequate to defend Hungary in the event of an attack. Recent purchases, long overdue, of modern arms (tanks, self propelled guns, anti tank weapons and helicopters) are but a baby step in the right direction. To achieve what Hungary is trying to achieve you need an armed force of about 80,000-85,000, hundreds of modern tanks and at least 70-80 modern fixed wing combat planes.
Even 50 000 regulars and a reserve of 25 000 would be a great improvement. 40-50 Eurofighters and more anti-tank/self propelled guns would act as a deterrent. The population has to increase substantially.