“Your expertise, unity and commitment have strengthened the trust placed in us by the communities we protect. Be proud of yourselves and what you have achieved together,” said Major General László Antal, praising the soldiers of the NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group Hungary (NATO FLF BG HUN) on August 26. At the ceremony held in Újmajor, the 2nd Grenadier Battalion of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade handed over its tasks, after twelve months, to the next Hungarian rotation: the designated personnel of the HDF 1st Armoured Brigade.
NATO’s Forward Land Forces are key elements of the North Atlantic Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture – stated Major General Antal, Commander of the Headquarters Multinational Division Centre (HQ MND-C), addressing the personnel of the battlegroup stationed in Hungary. Alongside Croatian and Italian soldiers stood the members of the Hódmezővásárhely Infantry Brigade for one last time; they are now handing over the tasks of the host nation to the armoured troops from Tata.
“Although units rotate, the battle group is always on standby, constantly training, practising and operating seamlessly. The contributions made by Hungary and its partner nations to the battle group are a clear guarantee of NATO’s defence and the stability of the entire region,” said Major General Antal.
The commander of the HQ MND-C also drew attention to the opportunities for innovation offered by the international environment. He currently sees the two most important directions for development as learning from the lessons of the Russo-Ukrainian war, and cooperation amongst NATO allies. “This battle group is also made up of several nations, each arriving here with quite different ways of thinking. There is much to be learnt from each other’s approaches and ideas,” he said.
The memory of our joint efforts will live on in the hearts of the soldiers who served in the battle group, said Major General Antal about those leaving the FLF BG HUN unit. He expressed gratitude to the families supporting them, and added regarding the future: “Our greatest weapon will continue to be cooperation. Together, we will protect the entire area of the Alliance, the safety of those living here, and all the values that NATO represents.”
Two NATO inspections, a great deal of training, including live-fire exercises at company level, battalion-level tactical training, and river crossings on the Danube and Tisza carried out jointly with international forces – these were the key operations of recent times, including their role in the Adaptive Hussars 2026 exercise held last autumn, recalled by Lieutenant Colonel Battonyi, the outgoing commander of the battle group.
“I am extremely pleased with the soldiers at Hódmezővásárhely, as they approached every task with motivation and discipline. I believe that all of us – including myself as commander, as well as the officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel under my command – are leaving with far greater knowledge than we had when we joined the battle group.”
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