There can be no successful cooperation without a strong Alliance

Text: Levente Petróczy | Photo: Ákos Pintér | 11:21 June 5, 2026

“We’ve had a great partnership with the Ohio National Guard for decades. Our troops were co-deployed in the Afghanistan mission, and we’ve been continuously supporting each other. Thanks to the good relationship, our troops have been able to demonstrate in the Alliance that we’re reliable partners” – said Defence Minister Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi PhD during Ohio National Guard Adjutant General Major General Matthew S. Woodruff’s visit to Hungary on June 4.

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The major general was received in the Balaton Street building of the Ministry of Defence by Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi and General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of HDF Defence Staff. Afterwards, Matthew S. Woodruff met with Director of HDF Defence Staff Major General Zoltán Apáti.

In answer to our question, the minister of defence told us that the adjutant general’s visit, too, is a proof that the Hungarian Defence Forces consider allied relationships important, and that beyond their establishment, these relationships must be maintained as well.

“Hungary is returning to its allies, Hungary is returning into Europe, and the trust of our allies is very important to us” – emphasized Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.

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The adjutant general of the Ohio National Guard said that he had known General Zsolt Sándor for a very long time, so the discussion he had conducted with him had been very informal and friendly. “We talked about what the future opportunities are for the partnership of the Hungarian Defence Forces and the Ohio National Guard, specifically in things like cyber and air defence”, he stated, adding that they will look into the directions of their development in the near future.

In connection with the importance of regular discussions, he emphasized that every joint meeting and training event contributes to making the cooperation more and more successful.

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“Every time we get together and engage on the leadership level, it develops new opportunities for us to find what are those new paths that we’ll wan to go down continue to grow and strengthen the Alliance. I think that we’ve succeeded again in gathering useful experiences”– this was how Major General Matthew S. Woodruff concluded his answer.

Following the discussions, the delegation attended a number of lectures. Brigadier General Gábor Pozderka, Chief of Cyber and Information Operations Directorate, HDF Defence Staff held a presentation on cyber security cooperation, while Brigadier General Dr. Tamás Bali, Deputy Commander and Air Chief, HDF Joint Operations Command another one on the air force.