Hungary to Conduct Its Largest Military Exercises in Recent Times
The Hungarian Armed Forces are set to carry out their largest military exercises in November this year, citing the ongoing conflict initiated by Russia against Ukraine as the reason for this scale-up.
This announcement was made by the Chief of Hungary's General Staff, General Gabor Böröndi, as reported by the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.
According to him, these exercises will be conducted simultaneously in eight regions of the country.
"The changes in Hungary's security landscape have compelled us to reassess the situation. Following the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, we had to revamp our military, altering our training and preparation processes to have a well-prepared, responsive, and well-equipped army," explained the military leader.
The last time the Hungarian Armed Forces undertook such extensive activities was in 2015 when they had to urgently deploy to the borders with Austria, Romania, and Serbia due to the migration crisis within the European Union.
He shared that during the two previous exercises, there was an assessment of the combat readiness and rapid response capabilities of soldiers and units, which helped pinpoint areas requiring intervention.
"In November, we will conduct much larger exercises, which will not only include military maneuvers but also evaluate the cooperation capabilities between the Hungarian Defense Forces and civilian administration," assured Böröndi.
Additionally, he noted that the experience gained from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has influenced procurement plans and objectives. For example, German weapons manufacturer -Rheinmetall is developing an infantry fighting vehicle based on Hungarian observations and requirements."After the receipt of Leopard 2A4 tanks, we will soon have the most modern Leopard 2A7 models in the country. We have ordered 24 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitzer 2000, with 23 already delivered. Units possess relevant fire control, command, and radar systems. All H145M helicopters have been supplied to the air force, and the delivery of larger H225M helicopters has also begun. Air defense capabilities are of paramount importance; the installation and operation of NASAMS and the acquisition of active and passive radars will complete our airspace control," detailed the military leader.
Böröndi also spoke about the digitization of the army, which entails the development of a command-administrative system to enable the automatic transmission of orders from the Chief of the General Staff to individual service members when necessary.
"We are building the system from the bottom up, as part of the Digital Soldier program. Soldiers are also equipped with sensors that transmit received information to the management system, where it is assessed and delivered to operational commanders or staff officers," he explained.
In addition to digitalization, the Hungarian military is emphasizing drones. The latest initiative involved purchasing a significant number of inexpensive drones, which are distributed to general units to familiarize them with drone operation and usage.