ADHU 25: The Hungarian Defence Forces are augmenting their most complex operation with reservists
Text: Ministry of Defence | Photo: Tünde Rácz, Reserve Sergeant First Class Zoltán Pintyi | 12:25 September 22, 2025“The largest-scale and most complex exercise of the Hungarian Defence Forces since the regime change has reached another milestone: on Monday, more than 1000 reservists are going to join the territorial defence regiments to undergo a kind of training that is organically connected with the operations of Exercise Adaptive Hussars 2025” – announced Brigadier General Dr. László Drót, Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces Territorial Defence and Military Augmentation Command.
“Organized within the framework of NATO, the whole-of-government, joint defence exercise, provides reservists with the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities to a wide audience” – added the brigadier general.
The now called-up personnel increase the number of reservists involved in the defence exercise that started on 1 September to over 2000. The operations, which were being planned for months and cover several counties involve all units of the Hungarian Defence Forces. By carrying out joint tasks, reservists and professional and contract soldiers are testing and at once developing the reaction capability and operational effectiveness of the armed forces.
In the coming weeks, the reservists are going to form small units to practice operational procedures and the order of cooperation while performing guard and close protection duties and manning checkpoints.
Besides live fire exercises, their training program includes administering first aid, managing states of danger, and radio telephony. In the case of certain units, the training covers the security tasks of river crossing operations and the close protection of air defence assets, and may also cover tasks like the guarding of bridges and crossing sites on River Danube, convoy escort or disaster management.
The system of territorial defence perfectly matches NATO’s allied principles, and forms a strong pillar in the Hungarian Defence Forces. For the duration of the exercise, a home front defence command has been set up, which encompasses the tasks of logistics, military police and military medicine in addition to the fields of territorial defence and military augmentation within the framework of civil-military cooperation.
Over the last one year or so, also thanks to the recruitment campaign “I love it, I defend it”, more than 6000 people decided to serve the homeland as reservists.
Press release of the Ministry of Defence
