Recognition from SACEUR

General Grynkewich was received with military honors outside the Balaton Street building of the Ministry of Defence in the morning of 28 May. First he paid a call to Defence Minister Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, and then attended a plenary session in Stefánia Palace, where, together with General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, he coordinated the professional dialogue conducted with senior leaders of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

Following the SACEUR’s call at the Ministry of Defence, Defence Minister Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said that they had held a highly successful discussion.

“I assured the general that Hungary’s new government will return to the Alliance, to Europe; we will rebuild the trust that was, unfortunately, lost by the previous government” – said the minister of defence. General Grynkewich informed him about the Alliance’s plans and also talked about his views on global security, including Europe.

The Alliance can give all assistance with the continuing development of the Hungarian armed forces, and Hungary will provide NATO with all the information needed to form a true picture of what capabilities the Hungarian military has – said the minister of defence. “We both concluded that despite political frictions, the military cooperation is unbroken”.

Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi emphasized that we can be proud of the Hungarian soldiers, of the cooperation between Hungarian and Alliance troops.

“I think that at the end of his visit, SACEUR can leave Hungary being certain that our country is really a valuable member of the Alliance. NATO can count on us, and we can count on NATO.

The meeting at the ministry was attended by both the incumbent and the incoming chiefs of defence of the Hungarian Defence Forces – General Dr. Gábor Böröndi and Lieutenant General Zsolt Sándor –, just as by Captain Szilveszter Pálinkás, the incoming deputy cabinet chief of the minister of defence. The United States was represented by Caroline Savage, Chargé D’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.

In the Stefánia Palace, the NATO delegation headed by General Grynkewich and the members of the HDF Defence Staff discussed the further capability development of the Hungarian Defence Forces and Hungary’s contribution to NATO-led operations, and briefly analyzed the Hungarian integrated air, missile and drone defence concept. Besides, the participants of the plenary session evaluated the results achieved so far in the system of the multinational NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group, and shared the lessons learned by member states contributing military forces to battle groups. During their discussion, they also addressed the efficient recruitment practice of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the successful development of its reserve system.

“Hungary has been a valued member of the Alliance for nearly 30 years, and constantly contributing to our missions across the Alliance, whether it’s in the Balkans with our Kosovo Force (KFOR) that’s been there highly successful in maintaining stability and security. More recently, Hungary’s contribution to the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission shows that it is able to be a security exporter, helping with security across the Alliance – and it’s really important” – said General Alexus G. Grynkewich.

He added that “Geographically, Hungary sits in a strategic position”.

SACEUR said that “it is really critical to hear the perspective of the Hungarian leadership, both military and political, on how we can move forward as an alliance and deal with the challenges together”.

Speaking about the topics of the plenary professional meeting, he told us that they reviewed the progress Hungary has made toward its capability targets. “These are very important targets from my perspective as SACEUR, that help us to deter and defend every inch of Alliance territory” – he emphasized.

In connection with the defence spending commitments adopted at the NATO Hague Summit, he noted with pleasure that he had heard from Hungarian military leaders that they are committed to meeting those capability targets, which requires the increased spending.

“It is an absolute honor to be here in Hungary” – said General Alexus Grynkewich. He added that he had got to know General Dr. Gábor Böröndi the last year, and now congratulated him on his successful tour. He also met with the incoming new Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Zsolt Sándor as well, and is really excited to work with him moving forward.

SACEUR is responsible for the adaptation, development and implementation of NATO’s defence plans – said General Böröndi at the break of the plenary session. When we are talking about the Hungarian Defence Forces’ preparedness for carrying out its tasks, about the military reform going well and about the establishment of new forces and subunits, SACEUR would like to see, analyze and evaluate all these, and even give us advice and discuss the further directions of development – added General Böröndi.

“During our meetings today, SACEUR can see that we have delivered on our NATO targets, but there are also emerging needs for new capabilities such as the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or counter-UAS assets, which we need to integrate into the development program of the armed forces.”

General Dr. Gábor Böröndi recalled that Hungary has harmonized the fulfilment of NATO commitments with its national interests. The “crown” of the military development program is the “Headquarters Multinational Division Centre in Székesfehérvár”, since this is a joint command of NATO and the Hungarian Defence Forces, he said.

In the afternoon, he and General Grynkewich together visited the Székesfehérvár-based Headquarters Multinational Division Centre (HQ MND-C), then paid a call to the leaders of the NATO Force Integration Unit Hungary. In what followed, before SACEUR’s departure, they met with the leaders of the Hungarian Defence Forces Joint Operations Command and the multinational NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group Hungary.