Hungary’s armed forces are conducting a series of exercises this week across multiple locations in the country, alongside NATO and regional partners, in a concerted effort to enhance joint operational and response capabilities, the Chief of Defence, General Gábor Böröndi, told the Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday.
New NATO military drill in the Bakony
According to his briefing, hundreds of Hungarian troops are training within both NATO and bilateral frameworks, joined by soldiers from Croatia, Italy, the United States, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia. Between 11 and 14 May, units of the NATO forward-deployed battlegroup stationed in Hungary are undertaking day and night airborne operations, helicopter live-fire drills, as well as artillery fire control and coordination exercises.
Participants are also rehearsing river crossings over damaged road sections using pontoon bridge elements, alongside carrying out chemical decontamination tasks. The culmination of the training will take place on 13 May, when company-level live-fire exercises are held at the Central Training and Firing Range in Bakony.
Meanwhile, designated personnel from Hungary’s II. Rákóczi Ferenc 14th Engineer Regiment and the Ohio National Guard’s 16th Engineer Brigade are engaged in a joint exercise, codenamed “Szentes Castle”, running from 4 to 15 May.
Americans, Italians, Croatians
Hungarian and American troops are practising water crossings on the Danube, while also receiving instruction in field fortification techniques and water purification, in addition to live-fire training. From 1 to 12 June, Hungarian troops from Szentes will travel to the United States to continue joint engineering training with the Ohio National Guard, General Böröndi added.
He further noted that the two training efforts — “Szentes Castle” and the activities of the Hungarian-led NATO battlegroup — were briefly integrated earlier this week.
Soldiers from the armoured infantry brigade based in Hódmezővásárhely, forming the backbone of the battlegroup, crossed the southern stretch of the Danube en route to Bakony using BTR and Lynx infantry fighting vehicles. They were joined by Croatian forces arriving from the Újmajor camp in MRAP vehicles, as well as Italian troops operating Centauro armoured vehicles. The river crossing operation was secured by Hungarian and American engineers from Szentes.
Major Hungarian military exercise begins today in sync with major NATO exercise
Joint air search
At the same time, Hungarian, Slovak, Slovenian and American special operations forces are conducting joint missions within Hungary as part of “Trojan Footprint 2026”, a multinational exercise led by the United States. The exercise runs from 11 to 21 May across NATO member states and partner countries throughout Europe, with the aim of strengthening the continent’s security.
In the framework of bilateral military cooperation, Hungary and Serbia are also holding a two-day joint air search and rescue (SAR) exercise this week, involving one Hungarian and two Serbian H145M helicopters. The exercise is intended to bolster response capabilities and deepen professional collaboration.
General Böröndi emphasised that Hungary is regularly called upon to support regional disaster response efforts, making close professional cooperation with neighbouring countries, as well as joint preparation, particularly important.
Such exercises, he said, foster mutual understanding of procedures, strengthen professional relationships, and facilitate the exchange of operational experience.
If you missed:
Military call-up papers distributed in Hungarian town
New Hungarian defence minister about Ukrainian-Russian war, conscription, sending troops to Ukraine
Featured image: Facebook/Magyar Honvédség
