Military Development on Realistic Terms

In his discussion of security policy and military strategies, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi assessed the issue of resource allocation while remaining grounded in reality. “As soldiers, we have to understand this: if we have serious problems with the economy or education, or if there are problems with healthcare, then we cannot rush headlong into spending on military equipment.” —the minister stated during the opening panel titled “Strategies and Priorities of Hungary’s New Government.” The minister highlighted the achievements in military development over the past ten years, while also emphasizing that one of the primary goals is to rebuild the domestic defence industry.

Jill Dougherty, a renowned CNN expert moderated the roundtable discussion at the event, held at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus in Budapest, organized by the Equilibrium Institute and supported by NATO. Zoltán Tanács, Minister of Science and Technology, also participated in the panel discussion. In connection with the government’s vision for the future and international challenges, he set forth a bold goal: “We must move beyond our current role and ensure that we, too, turn from a country that assembles products into a country that develops them.”

Tamás Boros, co-founder and director of the Equilibrium Institute, opened Tuesday’s session of the prestigious international forum. In his speech, he highlighted the technological paradigm shift that is fundamentally reshaping defence policy: “While military hardware used to be enough, today it is at least as important – if not more important – that we make progress in the field of cyber defence as well.”

From the perspective of the defence sector and the military profession, this BESTalks conference clearly highlighted how theoretical strategies should be translated into everyday practice in this era of 21st-century Euro-Atlantic relations. The roundtable discussions have once again demonstrated that close, integrated cooperation among political decision-makers, the armed forces, and allies is essential in turning the current global “upheaval” into a successful transformation.