Hungary is expanding its military muscle as Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced the addition of 56 Gidrán combat vehicles, raising the fleet to 106. Developed jointly with Türkiye, these versatile armoured vehicles boast advanced protection and weaponry.
The 4iG Group and the Hungarian state-owned N7 Holding are jointly establishing Hungary’s first defence industry holding company with both state and private ownership. The new company is expected to boost competitiveness and increase defence exports.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence has symbolically adopted two lynxes at the Budakeszi Wildlife Park—linking military identity with nature conservation and education, while highlighting parallels between wildlife and the army’s modern Lynx combat vehicles.
In a historic first, Hungary’s defence minister visited Uzbekistan to sign a new agreement marking the start of deeper military cooperation. The visit underscores Hungary’s interest in regional stability and stronger ties in Central Asia.
Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky of Hungary has announced that 5,000 new recruits have signed up for the Reserves of the Hungarian Defence Forces, which, as he pointed out, is a testament to the success of the ‘I love it, I defend it’ campaign started by his Ministry in June.
Hungary and Türkiye expand defence cooperation by establishing a Defence Innovation Working Group, aiming to accelerate joint research and development projects, as well as educational and training programmes between the two countries.
‘Trump 2.0 is a huge opportunity. Of course there are risks. Of course there will be things the administration does which I will disagree with. But the big picture is what matters. His victory is a victory for conservative forces across the world, a victory for foreign policy realism and for getting our means in line with resources.’
One of the most pressing issues in enhancing the competitiveness of Europe is the need to optimize defence spending. Europeans now spend much more on defence in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with ten European NATO members set to reach the 2 per cent of GDP spending threshold by the end of 2024. However, developing and acquiring modern weapon systems of cutting-edge technology demand an exponential level of spending for development and production, which can hamstring the capabilities of nation-states if they want to fit out their armies fully with domestically produced equipment, from building tools to jet fighters.
Hungary is on track to establish a fully modernized and re-equipped military force, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky affirmed during a significant milestone of the Defence Development Programme. Speaking at the MH Klapka György Armoured Brigade base on 5 November, Szalay-Bobrovniczky marked the full deployment of the Gidrán combat vehicle fleet, signifying enhanced operational readiness and security capabilities for Hungary in light of ongoing regional conflicts.
In 2016 the Hungarian government embarked on a military development programme driven by the need for a strong military capable of protecting the lives, property, and culture of Hungarian citizens, as well as fulfilling the country’s NATO obligations. The setting up of the Territorial Defence Forces Command was part of this effort.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
