Defense spending currently accounts for 1.2 percent of Hungarian GDP.Continue reading
Hungary needs an effective army of deterrent force that can guarantee peace, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held a speech at the swearing-in ceremony of citizens undertaking voluntary military service and the official delivery of Lynx combat vehicles in Budapest on Saturday.
He stressed that Hungarians need an effective army of deterrent force that can guarantee peace, because “he who does not possess strength will also not be right.”
“It is time to revive our military spirit because peoples that are incapable of doing so are certain to fail in the future,”
the Prime Minister said, adding that there are nations that have already begun preparations, and “we cannot fall behind in this either.” “We cannot stick our heads in the sand like ostriches,” because if things continue like this, the sanctions will shake Europe, in addition to which it seems that we must prepare for a drawn-out war, he stressed.
“Almost 250 young people who are undertaking voluntary military service have sworn their oaths today, which is reason enough for joy in itself, although we need a few more battalions like this. But in addition, the Lynx combat vehicles are now also entering service, and accordingly, we can also celebrate one of the important milestones in military development,” Orbán said.
The Prime Minister recalled that Hungarians “are a true military nation, but they are made so that if there is no direct threat, their strength is split among their various minor difficulties, meaning that we are only able to perform truly well if there is a problem that needs solving.” Orbán warned that there are major dangers at the country’s borders, such as the war and the fact that weapons are flowing to the Ukrainian battlefield from the West. “In addition, illegal migrants are assaulting our borders from the south with their armed groups,” he pointed out.
“We need soldiers who want to serve their country, and effective, modern weapons, and for this reason, we are restoring the prestige of the Hungarian Defense Force and are building a modern defense industry,” the Prime Minister highlighted. The Hungarian soldier is an “outstanding member of our nation,” and accordingly, every soldier deserves the respect of the Hungarian people, he added.
Photos via Miniszterelnök.hu/MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd