Dozens of officers sacked from Hungary’s military intelligence!
The Hungarian defence minister said this February that they would like to create an army with more young officers. Therefore, they opened a path for older crew to retire. After that, more than 100 generals and top officers were dismissed. It seems the wave reached even the Hungarian military intelligence.
Based on the information acquired by the HVG, at least 53 service people will be fired from military intelligence. The official name of the body is Military National Security Service (KNBSZ). The rate is significant because the number of personnel working for the KNBSZ barely reaches 1,000. Hvg.hu confirmed the information from multiple independent sources.
The reason is the same as in the case of military service people. The government would like to recruit younger officers and soldiers. Therefore, they opened a path to retirement for soldiers who are past their 45th birthdays and have at least 25 years of service. As a result, at least 150 officers were fired from the Hungarian military. However, the total number of the Hungarian Army is 36 thousand, while the KNBSZ is much smaller, with only around 1,000 members. The decision means the government dismisses more than 5 percent of the strength.
The timing is worse than ever
The decision is strange since Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Hungary’s defence minister, was very satisfied with the work of the KNBSZ one year ago. He said last May that the service is the most professional and well-trained, and he expressed his support towards its head, lieutenant general János Béres.
However, based on hvg.hu’s sources, the decision does not affect top officers. HVG writes that the timing is questionable since there is an ongoing war in Ukraine which means Hungary should strengthen all branches of its army instead of sending away soldiers.
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These changes are good for the Hungarian armed forces. The current military is too small to defend the country. It is top heavy, with too many old out of shape soldiers, too many females and not enough combat troops.A
Just a quick glance of what I might gather from this (sacking) is that our much-loved cuddly Teddy PM is going to re-stack KNBSZ with young (read: not much experience,) Orbán-loyal, and Russia-aligned, people. Do I need glasses?