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.
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.
A spy war has erupted between Hungary and Ukraine, with both countries expelling diplomats amid allegations of espionage and political subversion. At home, Hungarian officials now suspect the opposition’s actions—including a controversial leak by Péter Magyar—may be tied to Ukrainian intelligence efforts to destabilize Prime Minister Orbán’s government.
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar has published an audio recording—hyped as capable of toppling the government—featuring Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky discussing the army’s need to prepare for potential conflict. While the recording falls far short of expectations, it reveals much about Magyar himself and how detached from reality he appears to be.
The Hungary Helps mission has officially launched in Nigeria under the leadership of State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej. Over the past seven years, Nigeria has been a key focus of Hungary’s humanitarian efforts, aiming to support local communities and address ongoing crises.
Hungary is hosting MILEX 2025, a major international military exercise designed to test the European Union’s rapid response capabilities. Taking place between 25 March and 10 April, the operation brings together military forces from 11 EU countries to conduct live-fire exercises and tactical drills under real-world conditions.
Hungary has strengthened its military officer training with advanced simulators and an extended reality (XR) laboratory, enhancing preparation for future defence challenges. The innovation supports skills development and research at the National University of Public Service.
Hungarian troops have earned international recognition for their leadership in the EUFOR Althea peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated on Monday. The mission marked a historic milestone as Hungary took command of the EU’s peacekeeping mission for the first time.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
