Coordinated National and Alliance Cooperation at the NATO Crisis Management Exercise

The event conducted in a simulated environment was coordinated by the Ministry of Defence on the part of Hungary, based on the authorization of the Government of Hungary given within the framework of the whole-of-government crisis management activity. As national director, MoD Permanent State Secretary Dr. Árpád Vidoven – in cooperation with other top leaders – managed the activities of the participating Permanent Representation of Hungary to NATO, the ministries, the Defence Staff, the Hungarian Defence Forces and the law enforcement and national security organs. The Alliance tasks of the exercise were directed by the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, under the supervision of the NATO Secretary General. To handle situations threatening the Alliance, the North Atlantic Council made decisions based on the proposals submitted by its committees.

At the exercise’s closing event, it was mentioned that the CMX25 provided a great opportunity for Hungary to participate in Alliance-level decision-making. During this, both the Hungarian representatives in Brussels and the domestic exercising professionals in Budapest paid particular attention to representing national interests and fulfilling Alliance commitments. When carrying out national tasks, the personnel participating in Hungary – including governmental, law enforcement and military organizations – learnt about and practiced in close cooperation, with joint planning not only each other’s but also the Alliance’s operational procedures in the interest of fast and efficient preparation and execution of decisions.

After closing the exercise, the domestic organizations responsible for the preparation and conduct of the exercise analyse the lessons learned and evaluate the execution.