Hungarian Conservative

During his recent talks in Tbilisi, the Hungarian Defence Minister stressed that Hungary strongly supports Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and highlighted the importance of Hungarian-Georgian military cooperation.

During the meeting held at the Carmelite Monastery earlier today, Viktor Orbán emphasised that although a ceasefire and peace would be paramount, intense fighting erupted in the Russo-Ukrainian war on Wednesday night. The security of Hungary remains the top priority of the government, the Prime Minister stressed.

‘Historically, wars are coups d’états in the interior of the political process. It’s usually invisible to outsiders and it usually doesn’t respond to outside activity. The war in Ukraine started with people who are non-historians reading the history of Russia, the way a non-historian is looking for something relevant today. So, whenever they think that they have some historical information, it’s always misinformation because it gets taken out of context.’

‘As a volunteer reserve captain, I have seen the internal state of the armed forces from the bottom up, and as a minister, from the top down. From both perspectives, it is clear that a profound organisational culture change is needed,’ Defence Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted in a recent interview.

Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky drew attention to the fundamental change in the security situation in Europe and stressed that the military must demonstrate appropriate deterrence to ensure the safety of the Hungarian people. He emphasised that defence is something that concerns all Hungarians, and reiterated that the Hungarian Defence Forces welcome young people who want to join in the armed defence of the homeland.

21 May was designated National Defence Day in 1992 because it was on this day that Hungarian soldiers recaptured the Buda Castle after a three-week siege at the end of the spring campaign in 1849.

The Hungarian force development programme must not slow down: cooperation between Rheinmetall and the Hungarian state will continue uninterrupted, Viktor Orbán nailed down.

‘The huge potential of the Hungarian defence industry can unfold at the best possible time, as one of the recurring themes of EU defence ministerial discussions is that stocks are being depleted and there is insufficient capacity for after-market production.’

Regarding the war in Hungary’s neighbourhood, Hungary’s Minister of Defence reiterated that the country’s position has been clear from the beginning: to stay out of the war and pursue Hungary’s national interests.

As the debate unfolds, the divides between the followers of pro-Eastern Pan-Slavism and the supporters of Western orientation are becoming deeper and deeper.

According to press reports, an Israeli ELM-2084 multi-mission radar, also utilized as part of the renowned Israeli Iron Dome air defence system, has been sighted near a Hungarian settlement. The Hungarian Defence Forces have procured eleven of these modern systems.

The Hungarian 4iG Group and German Rheinmetall will contribute to the digitalization of the defence forces by developing digital soldier, simulation and training systems in Hungary and in certain NATO member countries in the Central and Eastern European region. In this segment, the 4iG Group and Rheinmetall expect to generate revenues of €200-300 million over five years.

In order to achieve the objectives set by the Chief of General Staff, including mental renewal and combat readiness, the Hungarian Defence Forces will hold a broader spectrum exercise, where the HDF will not only carry out military manoeuvres in eight locations across the country, but the cooperation between the Hungarian Defence Forces and the civil administration will also be assessed.

In addition to the Hungarian leadership, from 2024, the Hungarian Defence Forces will contribute with additional forces to Operation Althea including helicopter airlift and bomb disposal capabilities.

24 September is the Feast of St Gerard in the Hungarian Catholic Church. St Gerard’s cult is still very much alive in Hungary: in the Hungarian Defence Forces, he is the patron saint of technical troops, and because of his significant literary activity, he is the patron of Catholic schools and teachers.

A new, temporary exhibition of military history is set to open in August in St Stephen Museum and Monastery in Székesfehérvár. This is all part of the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the formation of the modern Hungarian Defence Forces this year.

The Hungarian Defence Forces’ JAS-39 Gripen fighter aircraft and H145M and Mi-24 helicopters will fly over the Ludovika campus on Saturday as part of the Ludovika Festival in Budapest.

Lt General Gábor Böröndi is the ‘right man in the right place at the right time’ to lead the Hungarian Defence Forces from the combat level to the operational level, the Hungarian Defence Minister stressed at the Lt General’s hearing in parliament.

In the CEE region, only Romania and the Czech Republic are ahead of Hungary in terms of the strength of their military. This is a quite notable achievement given that in 2010, the Hungarian Defence Forces were still lagging behind the Serbian, Austrian, and even the Slovak and Croatian armed forces.

The Hungarian Defence Forces have received the first of the famed German artillery units that are wreaking havoc on the Russian troops in Ukraine. State-of-the-art weaponry is essential to both warfare and deterrence.

‘Colonel Buskila explained that ‘‘there were two waves of the attack: in the first, there were the 2500 terrorists who infiltrated Israel and then in the second wave hundreds, maybe one thousand Gazan civilians took advantage of the fact that their border was open and rushed into Israel with knives just to kill people and steal.’’ Colonel Buskila added that these Gazans didn’t spare anything, and after they killed Israeli civilians in the kibbutzim, they stole everything, even the batteries, from those Israeli civilians’ cars whom they murdered.’

In the latest episodes of the Danube Institute’s podcast co-chair of the Israeli Sovereignty Movement Nadia Matar spoke about the nature of radical Islamist terrorism. To demonstrate her point, she showed a flag from the city of Bethlehem with the Arabic phrase ‘We will murder Jews on Saturdays and we will murder Christians on Sundays’ written on it.

The minister underscored that strengthening ties with the United Arab Emirates, a significant economic and military power in the Gulf region, can complement Hungary’s defence development programme, whether it involves defence-oriented research, innovation, or the manufacturing of military equipment.

NATO accession, defending the countries of Central Europe, success in academia and standing up for one’s heritage. These topics interest many these days, and Joanna Siekiera is an expert on them. In this interview she discusses the ‘blocking’ of Swedish NATO accession, the influence of smaller EU countries globally, academia and cybersecurity.

The new aircraft acquired by the HDF will also represent a niche development for NATO forces in the region, as Hungary is the second European country and NATO member state after Portugal to opt for the KC-390.

‘There is a ridiculous claim that keeps resurfacing in the Ukrainian, Slovakian and Romanian press: that Hungary has territorial claims against Ukraine. While neither the intention, nor the slightest chance or means are there to support the ridiculous Russian PSYOPS stunt, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Romania continue to think it is real. Is it because of their bad conscience over the oppressed hundreds of thousands of Hungarians in these countries?’

215 young scholars studying in Hungary as part of a bilateral agreement between Ghana and Hungary have gone without their stipends for six months now after the Ghanaian government has apparently failed to disburse the sums due to the 215 students.

The Brazilian relationship is a valuable connection to an emerging power of the 21st century, without serious geopolitical cost attached.

In a rare show of good faith and positivity, US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman attended a joint exercise of American and Hungarian soldiers in Szentes, Hungary. At the event, he emphasized the importance of the military alliance between the two nations.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—that is the name of the illness Dániel Karsai, a renowned Hungarian constitutional lawyer was diagnosed with in August 2022. Armed with comprehensive knowledge of the relevant domestic and international legal frameworks, he has embarked on a mission. His goal is to submit a legal brief to the European Court of Human Rights, intending to shape a more liberal approach by the Strasbourg jurisprudence concerning assisted suicide. Through this, he aims to trigger a transformative shift in Hungary’s relevant regulations, as a quasi-capstone to his professional career.