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New Global Firepower Index: Hungary precedes Austria and Slovakia, but we can be afraid of Romania, Ukraine
Global Firepower shared its latest index of 145 countries, considering over 60 individual factors, including the number of military units, logistical capabilities, financing and geography. Hungary is ahead of countries like Austria and Slovenia but behind other neighbouring and Central European countries despite military developments.
The new Global Firepower Index provides interesting data about Hungary’s strength
The Hungarian government seems committed to continuing military developments in the country. The Orbán cabinet regularly highlights that the ability to defend ourselves is key to being strong, independent and sovereign. Therefore, military spending has been increasing for years. Furthermore, as one of Trump’s allies, they want to implement the President-elect’s demand to spend at least 2% of the GDP on armed forces. We wrote in THIS article that the Orbán cabinet would like to build one of the most developed and largest barracks in Central Europe near Szolnok.
According to the latest Global Firepower Index shared recently, Hungary was able to obtain the 55th position on the globe. Concerning financials, the GFI wrote that Hungary’s PPP stood at USD 388 (53/145), while the country’s defence budget was at USD 4.56 billion. The fit-for-service manpower in Hungary is above 3.79 million, but the total military personnel is estimated to be only 76,600. The active personnel is only 41,600. The total number of aircraft is 69 (12 fighters and trainers, 3 transports and 44 choppers, 8 attack helicopters), but only 45 are ready for service (8,8,2,29,5).
Hungarian military ahead of Austria, Serbia, Slovakia
Based on GFI, Hungary has 209 tanks (but only 146 would be ready for a mission), 7,797 vehicles (5,458), 24 self-propelled artillery (17) and 295 towed artillery (207).
Concerning natural resources, Hungary’s prospects would be unfavourable in the case of war since the country had deficits in oil, natural gas and coal. Among the comparable powers, the GFI listed Venezuela, Peru and Angola.
In the Central and Eastern European region, Ukraine (20), Poland (21), Czechia (53) and Romania (51) preceded Hungary. Meanwhile, Hungary is ahead of Serbia (63), Austria (68), Slovakia (71), Croatia (74), and Slovenia (96). At the top of the ranking are the USA, China and Russia.
According to index.hu, critics of the Global Firepowers Index regularly highlight that the ranking should be used mainly for information purposes because it does not consider factors like the armies’ technological development, the training level of the personnel, or the number of strategic weapons.
Read also:
- Hungary gets brand-new military choppers, troops prepare for Chad mission amid French withdrawal – details and photos HERE
- Russian missiles over Hungarian towns and villages: is the war in Ukraine escalating?
So we are spending just over 2 percent of GDP annually on defense … Against who or what, exactly? Who exatly is You-Know-Who? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?
https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf
And our Politician’s BFF Mr. Trump actually believes this spend should be closer to five (5) percent. Again. Be careful what you wish for, and be heedful when choosing your friends and allies.
Without getting into the weeds (it is such interesting source material!) – check out the spend of Poland, the Baltic States and Finland. They are outspending us by a broad margin and certainly are worried about something. I wonder what it is?
Norbert you beat me to it. What is the purpose of your military and how do you plan anything unless you state what exactly the threat is that you are protecting yourself from? How can you exist as a member of NATO when you cannot acknowledge the threat that NATO was designed to protect Europe from since its’ inception in 1949? How can you be a member of NATO when your defence minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky has had long time business partnerships with Russian companies? The Hungarian defence minister is completely incapable of using the “R” name. Perhaps Hungary is actually constructing a new barracks for incoming Russian military guests who will have no intention of leaving a second time.
Larry boy… you are pathetic. You never lock your car, front door? You leave all windows wide open in summer when you go away? What and who do you afraid of exactly? Ok so banality check ✅
NATO that protects Europe… Please tell it those countless people who died in freedom war against Soviet Union occupation in Hungary. People seriously believed that the European and American forces just behind the corner to save them and they fought until last men…. I wish the same desperate and fearsome feeling to your nation too. So you’ll know something about fear and hope and power and strength. Until that you may get your thoughts about NATO and questions about why and how Hungary deal with military affairs on a paper and use it as a toilet paper. If anyone really fought against Russia AND Ukraine that was Hungary. (regarding the most cruel beasts in the Red Army were Ukrainians).
And yes in this war Russia is the good boy and the terrorist Ukraine is the bad boy but idiots fueling them on many reasons – still I hope they’ll disappear very soon from the maps.
So we never ever could count on your big NATO protection, the only reason why we joined is because there were no better option. still we know you’d backstab us or let us rot as you did many times before. So the only feeling that an educated Hungarian could have to Europeans is contempt, disdain, disgust and pity.
Hungarians will deserve what they get if they accept Fidesz’ methodical integration of Hungary into a Russian partnership. Only the ignorant can blame the US for Russian atrocities committed against Hungary or Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine and has been deliberately targeting civilians for almost three years now. The newest thing is Russian use of drones to hunt civilians. If you want to talk history, after fighting WWII in Europe and the Pacific, the US had to defend South Korea finishing the Korean War in 1953 losing 38,000 killed and tens of thousands injured. No one in the US wanted yet another war with Russia in 1956. Unfortunately Fidesz has been pumping Russian propaganda to the Hungarian masses for years now so their thinking has become warped. Always remember that the number one tactic Russian propaganda uses is to accuse the opponent (the West) of doing what Russia is doing openly and brutally.