The Tisza government is “a government of peace, we will not send troops to the Ukrainian-Russian war, we will not send weapons, and we will not reinstate conscription,” Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the nominee for minister of defence, said during his hearing before parliament’s committee on defence and law enforcement on Monday.
Reestablishing the trust of the allies
Ruszin-Szendi said that defence will remain a national priority, allowing the ministry to continue developing the armed forces in a way that satisfied all segments of society. He said that allies’ trust had eroded in recent years, and it must be restored also in the area of national defence. He added that the previous government “left the soldiers behind”, enacting laws that failed to take into account the centuries-old culture of service that had previously strengthened soldiers and made them combat-ready. The fact that people with criminal records and foreigners can serve as soldiers in Hungary, and that military ranks can be purchased were exemples of that trend, he said.
“The morale and self-confidence of Hungarian soldiers had been shattered because anyone could be dismissed without justification,” he said. Pay disparities have also harmed morale, Ruszin-Szendi added. Another factor was that the previous leadership had outsourced a significant portion of the defence industry to private companies, with owners and investors coming not only from allied countries, he said.
New defence minister about Gáspár Orbán’s Chad mission
Foreign missions that are beneficial to Hungary will continue. “But we are not going to Chad, that’s for sure”, he said, adding that the matter of the Chad mission will be investigated. We wrote about Gáspár Orbán’s planned Chad mission in multiple articles. Check out our latest one.
He said they would place people at the centre of military development, rebuilding the resilience of the defence industry, shifting the focus of military development to Hungarian SMEs, and prioritizing the adoption of dual-use (military and civilian) equipment.
Contracts will be reviewed to ensure that procurements are not overpriced, do not “line the pockets of oligarchs”, and truly strengthen Hungary’s capabilities, he said. He also highlighted the importance of countering cyber threats.
Hungary’s dancing health minister to overhaul the healthcare system with Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó’s backing
Respect and reservists
Respect for soldiers must be restored, legislation that disregards the culture of service must be repealed, and the entire pay system must be overhauled, Ruszin-Szendi said. Meanwhile, the legal status of soldiers must be enshrined in law rather than regulated by government decree, he said.
Asked about the reservist staff, Ruszin-Szendi said Hungary currently had more than 12,000 reservists, but their mobility needed to be improved. He said he would also expand the system of military high schools, which serve as a gateway into the reserve and professional armed forces.
He said that the General Staff will remain independent of the ministry, and as minister, he will work not in the Castle District but in the ministry’s old building. The committee supported the appointment of Ruszin-Szendi as minister of defence with six votes in favour, one against and two abstentions.
Trust of allies could be restored through actions
“We can restore the trust of our allies through actions; we must prove that Hungary is a sovereign country, but that its allies can also trust it politically,” Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the candidate for defence minister, said in his confirmation hearing before parliament’s national security committee on Monday.
The candidate said the previous government’s outsourcing the defence industry to companies whose investors or owners included non-NATO countries posed a national security risk. He added that new Tisza government would review these privatisations and do everything to regain state ownership in those companies.
He also said that there were “huge problems” in the field of cyber defence, and this may have contributed to the allies’ trust in Hungary being shaken. He indicated that cyber defence and digitalisation would be given a prominent role in the new defence ministry.
The committee supported Ruszin-Szendi’s appointment with six votes in favour, one against and two abstentions. Later in the day, Ruszin Szendi’s appointment was also supported by parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee.
Restoring Hungarian ownership
After the two hearings, the incoming minister said he had been sufficiently authorised to start renewing Hungary’s defence.
He said restoring Hungarian ownership in the defence industry would be on the agenda of the first government meeting. He said revenues from the sector were crucial to develop defence capabilities and contribute to Hungary’s GDP “rather than stuff oligarchs’ pockets“.
Ruszin-Szendi was asked how the military could retain soldiers, and he said those planning to quit should “wait a bit and see that the new leadership will have a completely different attitude towards soldiers and defence … it will again be good to be in the military.”
Asked about the previous government’s laying off senior officers under the motto of recruiting younger staff, Ruszin-Szendi said he had not been able to prevent that as chief of staff, but as minister he would “do everything to erase that shameful development from the history of the Hungarian military.” “Everybody that meets the requirements and wants to serve will be welcome back,” he said.
Answering another question concerning Gabor Borondi, the incumbent chief of staff, Ruszin-Szendi said “we have a professional conflict” but added that he would make personnel-related decisions once he was appointed minister.
If you missed:
Anita Orbán announces major foreign policy shift, discussing EU funds, migration, EU demands, Hungarian troops in Ukraine
Tisza set to upend Hungarian economy: price caps, windfall taxes, VAT cuts, free competition, the Hungarian euro and Russian oil
