Black Swan 2017 – Hungarian president: Reform of military development helps boost security

Hungary and its economy is sufficiently strong for the implementation of a new wave of military development, dubbed Zrínyi 2026, which will bolster Hungarian people’s sense of security, President János Áder said in Szolnok, in central Hungary, on Wednesday.

Speaking to the press at an open day related to the international army training and exercise programmes Saber Guardian 2017 and Black Swan 2017, Áder said he trusted that the exercises would contribute to more effective international operations in which Hungary participates in a way that further enhances its prestige.

He said Hungarian soldiers are training to be able to carry out four major tasks over the coming period: protect Hungary’s borders, carry out duties pertaining to the country’s international military commitments such as its NATO membership, participate in international peacekeeping missions as well as disaster management-related tasks.

Photo: MTI

Defence Minister István Simicskó said at event that Hungary’s allies had acknowledged the significant strengthening of the Hungarian military’s special operational capabilities in the recent past.

For the first time, Hungarians have been entrusted to lead a multinational force which hitherto has always been led by the US, he said. In today’s period of modern warfare, the best soldier puts to use their special operational knowledge, he added.

Simicskó said Hungary’s defence spending would reach 2 percent of GDP by 2024. He said a major element of the Zrínyi 2026 scheme was boosting the army’s special ops capabilities.

The Black Swan 2017, which is a special ops exercise of the Saber Guardian series of international exercises, is being organised jointly by the Hungarian Armed Forces, the United States‘ Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) and the command of US ground forces stationed in Europe, according to a guide distributed at the event. The exercise began on June 23 and runs until July 26.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI