The Minister of National Defense named the soldiers as active contributors to the renewal, modernization, and rejuvenation of the Hungarian Armed Forces. campaign, the unified basic training program, and at the ceremonial military swearing-in ceremony of the personnel enlisted in September in the framework of the voluntary military service on Friday in Debrecen.
“It’s good to see so many patriots together,” Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky greeted the almost four hundred soldiers who lined up to take the oath in the large hall of the Kölcsey Center.
He added: that with their service, the soldiers contribute to increasing the strength and capabilities of the Hungarian Armed Forces, protecting the country’s territorial sovereignty, increasing national resilience, and guaranteeing the peace and security of Hungary and the Hungarian people.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the past years have proven that the world, which was believed to be stable, is changing, and the peace and security of countries has become uncertain.
“The brutality of the Ukrainian-Russian war raging in our neighborhood, the terrorism and fear of escalation in the Middle East, are all symptoms of a world in transition,” he said, noting that Hungary and the Hungarian Armed Forces are not afraid of these “winds of change” because he placed his values on solid foundations.
“Our faith in God, as well as our love for our country and our families, provide the foundation that has made Hungarians Hungarian here, in the Carpathian Basin, for a thousand years,” said the head of the ministry.
At the same time, the deteriorating security environment requires the ability to adapt in addition to the constancy of values: we can only guarantee the peace of Hungary if we are able to respond to the challenges of the time as quickly and accurately as possible – he explained.
According to the minister, this realization motivated the idea of modernizing the Hungarian Armed Forces, the developing of the national defense and force development program, and the creating of a high-tech force capable of guaranteeing peace and deterrence.
He added that in order to create a striking force, not only the most modern technical equipment is needed, but also dedicated soldiers, “soldiers who understand our world and feel their responsibility since the Hungarian Armed Forces can only be complete with brave soldiers”.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky expressed his joy that the soldiers of the first grenadier battalion of the 30th Armored Infantry Brigade of Kinizsi in Hódmezővásárhely, equipped with the latest pride of the Hungarian armed forces, the Lynx (Hiúz in Hungarian) armored infantry fighting vehicles, also took the oath.
The Minister of National Defense called it vital that the most modern equipment is in safe hands and deployed under the control of soldiers who have received the most thorough training.
In addition to the strong and well-trained contract staff of the national defense, the preparedness of the reserve and territorial defense forces is at least as necessary, he pointed out, noting that the mandatory subjects learned during the uniform combat training program provide knowledge and skills that guarantee the combat readiness of the entire staff.
With unified combat training, they want to create a strong community of brave patriots, and “today proves that this has been done,” said Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, adding: “you are part of a process that we have been waiting for for decades.”
Colonel-General Gábor Böröndi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Honvéd, said that the young people “from this moment on live their lives according to the military values”, therefore he expects them to “act in every minute of their lives representing the Hungarian Armed Forces and protecting the Hungarian nation”.
To the death for the country! – added the general.
He emphasized: that in order for the national defense to become a truly effective force, they returned to the residential system of basic training, which strengthened military socialization, more time was spent on the firing range, and thus they became better trained and more stable soldiers.
The chief of staff explained that the challenges and sources of danger in the security situation are becoming increasingly complex, and the role of reserve forces is increasing.
“The war of the future will start digitally and end analogically”, the crises around us show that the professional forces will start the war and will be finished by the reserve forces, said the colonel.
Gábor Böröndi said that the responsibility is huge, so soldiers have the right to the best preparation, equipment and training.
(MTI)
Photo: MTI/Zsolt Czeglédi
