According to the assessment of the Belgian and Spanish Chiefs of General Staff, it would be inconceivable for them to conduct such a large-scale exercise involving the administration and all the armed forces at the same time, as the Hungarian Defence Forces recently completed – disclosed Chief of General Staff, Gen. Gábor Böröndi to Magyar Nemzet in a recent interview.
Since the 1989 regime change there has never been an example of units having to exercise national defense tasks independently, even in unexpected situations, in cooperation with the administration and NATO forces, said the General. It is necessary to adapt to the experience of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The large-scale exercise involved nearly 6,000 troops and 600 reserve soldiers. The General explained that the aim was primarily to see how the Defense Forces and the administration work together to defend the country, as in the current war times, the security of Hungary comes first. On the other hand, of course, it was also examined how prepared Hungary is to receive NATO troops, that is, how the national reception support is working.
The Defense Forces have extended the use of material and economic services to the north-eastern counties and Zala for the duration of the exercise to see how the army can use local infrastructure and services and call up reservists in real conditions.
The exercise tested the logistical and command and control capabilities of the army. The importance of this was stated by the Chief of General Staff as follows:
“The experience of the Russian-Ukrainian war shows that the main targets of attacks with deep-penetration fire are civilian infrastructure, bridges and roads, military airfields and military command and control points. Therefore, we have also practiced how to disperse command elements and logistic forces to several points in the country, how to operate intelligence information technology, protected and automated command and control, as well as loading of assets by rail, water crossing, use of roads, all at the same time.”
These new war experiences also changed the way the Leopard and Lynx tanks and the new PzH 2000 self-propelled guns were deployed. Böröndi said that
with the arrival of the PzH 2000, we will have to fundamentally change the use of artillery.
Previously, a division supported the combat operations of the rifle brigade. However, the experience of the Russian-Ukrainian war shows that artillery units larger than a battery or company level cannot move in combat situations because drones immediately detect them and launch strikes against them. So the 24 new self-propelled guns that are coming to us will not be cooperating at division level, but not only because of the experience of war, because this is not what this equipment is designed to do by its capabilities”.
The use of tanks in infantry warfare also changed with the arrival of the Lynx infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks.
The Lynx infantry fighting vehicle is more accurate, more capable, has greater survivability, has ammunition types and automatic systems that will not miss, can be fired in 360 degrees, and has outstanding off-road capability. In the past, combat vehicles supported infantry gunners in combat, but today it is the other way round, reminded Gábor Böröndi.
Such a vehicle can protect 400 meters wide and 300 meters deep, which used to require a rifle platoon. For this reason, we need to rewrite our regulations in this area, he said.
Via Facebook / Magyar Honvédség
In addition to national defense tasks, as a NATO member, Hungary is also involved in international missions in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Western Sahara, Iraq and Lebanon. Soon our soldiers will also be present in Chad, part of the Sahel region. On the importance of the mission in Chad, the Chief of General Staff said: it is very important to see that what happens in Africa has an impact on Europe.
The Sahel region, which is practically next door to Europe, is of the utmost importance for our security, whether we look at migration or the threat of terrorism.
The only stable point in the region is Chad, which is also facing many difficulties; Hungary is helping to improve conditions on the ground in many parts of the world – the aim is to improve living conditions here too, so stability on the ground has an impact on Europe”.
Böröndi assessed the situation of our military at home and abroad by saying that “the Hungarian Defense Forces have changed the pace, because the changed war-environment requires more training and exercises to make our troops even more effective, in cooperation with the other NATO member states.”
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured Pictures: Facebook / Magyar Honvédség