A look at the Western Balkans theatre

Students of General Staff Course broaden they knowledge in Sarajevo

Text: Major Enikő Földházi | Photo: First Lieutenant Barna Koncsek | 15:16 May 14, 2024

The students of the military leadership specialization of the Ludovika – University of Public Service, Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training, General Staff Training Institute, Senior Military Leader Postgraduate University Level Programme recently paid a visit to Camp Butmir, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to gain first-hand experiences of the two international military missions conducted in the Western Balkans country, namely, EUFOR Althea – the operation of the European Union (EU) in Bosnia and Herzegovina – and the NATO Headquarters Sarajevo (NHQSa).

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The delegation was received by Major General László Sticz PhD, the Hungarian commander of EUFOR, who said that the peace and security of the Western Balkans theatre has outstanding importance to Hungary, and for this reason the Hungarian peacekeepers’ presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been significant for several decades in terms of troop levels and capabilities alike, and has further expanded and strengthened during the Hungarian commander’s year in EUFOR.

In what followed, the students of the course received a detailed picture of the current security and political situation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the task system of EUFOR. On behalf of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, NHQSa Chief of Staff Colonel Vilmos Nosza informed the visitors about the key tasks of the NATO mission and the activities involved in the partnership between NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The most spectacular moments of the two-day visit were the demonstrations of the helicopters of the EUFOR Aviation Detachment, the EUFOR Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, as well as the Romanian, Italian, Turkish and Hungarian maneuver companies of the Multinational Battalion.