NCOs on NATO’s eastern flank

General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of Defence, welcomed Chief Warrant Officer Zoltán Kaszab – who was visiting from Mons, Belgium – to his office as an old comrade-in-arms. During the courtesy call, Chief Warrant Officer Christian Thomassin, CSEL for NATO Allied Joint Force Command (JFC Brunssum), and Chief Warrant Officer Jeramie Leamon, CSEL for NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM Izmir), received first-hand information on current developments concerning the HDF. The two senior Canadian NCOs are travelling with Chief Warrant Officer Kaszab through Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria, seeking to learn as much first-hand lessons as possible of the North Atlantic Alliance’s eastern flank, primarily by familiarising themselves with the capabilities of the multinational NATO Forward Land Force Battle Groups (NATO FLF BG).

In addition to the senior officer’s meetings, an important part of their program is to assess the readiness of their “immediate professional environment”, the NCOs. In Szentendre, at the “Artúr Görgey” Barracks, Colonel Ferenc Tamás Schleisz, acting commander of the HDF Transformation Command, and Colonel Imre Frankó, commander of the HDF NCO Academy, welcomed them for a professional discussion. Later, Chief Warrant Officer Tibor Polgár, commander of the HDF NCO Academy NCO Training Centre, gave a comprehensive presentation on the Hungarian NCO training system and its success. Over the past few years, significant professional progress has been made in this area.

NCOs are increasingly valued and well-trained members of the HDF. Through their training programs and training system, the HDF keep pace with the latest professional challenges, expanding their training portfolio with updated and new training elements. On October 1, 2026, the Special Training Centre of the HDF NCO Academy was established. The battalion-level organisation encompasses all training elements that were previously delivered separately at sub-departmental level within the academy, including marksmanship, drone and international training, SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Extraction) and CaC (Conduct after Capture) training.

Alongside classroom training and its development, innovations in military technology are continually being incorporated into on-the-job training, primarily through the increasing use of drones. The instructors at the NCO Academy presented a range of equipment and technical innovation developed in-house during an innovative static display organised for visitors. “Hungarian NCO training was overhauled in 2019, shifting from a school-based system to a course-based one, in line with NATO standards. The five-level NCO training program has remained consistent with the NATO leadership training system ever since,” said HDF CSM Tamás Zsiros in Szentendre, who served as commander of the NCO Academy Training Centre before taking over the post of CSM of the HDF from his predecessor, Sergeant First Class Zoltán Kaszab. The highest rank in the NCO hierarchy is that of unit (or even international) CSEL. It takes several decades of service to reach this level. Alongside professional expertise, the development of leadership competencies is just as important.

“Within the units, NCOs are trained in their trade. They become experts in their own fields, but it is of paramount importance for their career progression that they learn mission lessons, and undertake permanent service abroad, so that they can familiarise themselves with NATO’s functioning, its operations, and the Alliance’s command and strategic structure. It is also important that our NCOs take part in overseas courses in the United States, the Visegrád countries or Croatia to help develop their leadership competencies,” emphasised HDF CSM Zsiros “It is clear that the NCOs and CSELs we train here at home easily meet NATO expectations. The latter can also apply their knowledge excellently within the Alliance’s headquarters,” added Chief Warrant Officer Tibor Bogdán, citing as examples the posts held by CSELs at NATO Allied Command Transformation, and Chief Warrant Officer Zoltán Kaszab, CSEL for Allied Command Operations. HDF CSM Tamás Zsiros considers it very important that CWO Christian Thomassin and CWO Jeramie Leamon visited Hungary on behalf of NATO.

“As Canadians, they work with a completely different approach and training methodology. So, in the spirit of interoperability, it is useful to show them how NCO training is carried out here in Hungary. Cooperation between allied nations is of great importance, particularly with regard to NCOs, and their visit helps to foster this,” said the HDF CSM.

During the visit by the two experienced CSELs, the focus was on the challenges and tasks facing NCOs today. Chief Warrant Officer Jeramie Leamon began his NATO service as a CSEL in March this year. Although he is still familiarising himself with the capabilities of the multinational FLF BGs stationed on the Alliance’s eastern flank, with thirty-five years of experience, he has a clear understanding of the role and position of NCOs within a modern, combat-ready force. He explained that technology has evolved continuously over the past few decades, adding that he thinks the reason why it has been different from his time as a young NCO compared to an NCO today is the rate at which technology is changing the battlefield.

“NCOs need to adapt. Sometimes people try to adapt so quickly to technology, sometimes they can miss out on the fundamentals and the foundation of training. I’m always making sure that our NCOs still focus at the ground level, but also embrace and innovate with new technology,” said Chief Warrant Officer Leamon at the end of the professional development day in Szentendre.