Hungarian general again in “the NATO capital of Poland”

Situated in the northern part of Poland, Bydgoszcz is deservedly called “the NATO capital of Poland”, as there are altogether six NATO elements stationed in the city. Besides the NATO Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC), other institutions affiliated to NATO are also here, such as the NATO Communications and Information Agency CIS Support Unit Bydgoszcz, the 3rd NATO Signal Battalion, the Military Police Centre of Excellence, the NATO Force Integration Unit Poland, and the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre. The strategic importance of the garrison increases not only the prestige of the city but also the security of the region, while representing unity and efficient cooperation within the Alliance.

JFTC Bydgoszcz has been operating since 2004, and its significance is given by its fundamentally important core mission as one of the two training centres of NATO (the other one is in Stavanger, Norway): it is responsible for the tactical-level training and preparation of NATO forces. Besides operations-level training, through the organization of renowned international exercises, it significantly contributes to increasing the efficiency of the Alliance and interoperability among member states. Due to the key role of the garrison and the JFTC within the Alliance, Hungary is honored to undertake the strategically significant responsibility of filling this position.

During his more than 30 years of impressive military career, besides filling responsible positions, Brigadier General Zoltán Bárány participated in international operations in the Balkans and the Middle East, and continuously worked to broaden his professional knowledge. He attended and successfully completed world-class military and security policy courses, among others in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Before leaving for Poland, he served at the helm of the Hungarian Defence Forces Transformation Command, first as deputy commander and then commander. Brigadier General Bárány played a key role in laying the theoretical foundation of the organization and then in its operational control. Under his leadership, the development of the transformational ecosystem, the new field manuals development system and the wide-ranging analysis of lessons learned all contributed to the modernization of the HDF. In the coming years, he will deservedly utilize his outstanding professional experience and strategic insight in the command position of the JFTC and put it in the service of developing the efficiency of the organization. He has relinquished the command of the HDF TC to Colonel Árpád Tajti.

The handover-takeover ceremony of the deputy commander’s and the chief of staff’s position in Bydgoszcz was attended by the representatives of the NGOs of the city and the county as well as those of the NATO and Polish national military organizations stationed in the garrison. Also present at the ceremony was Rafał Bruski, the mayor of Bydgoszcz, who welcomed the incoming deputy commander with well-wishes.

“I’m convinced that our city located on the banks of the rivers Brda and Vistula and its oldest Alliance institution will become a home full of true friends for the time of your service”.

Concurrent with the change of deputy commander, the Hungarian personnel serving at the command were also renewed, and the new ones set the aim of preserving the esteem of the international professional community that had been earned by their predecessors.