In his speech delivered in Székesfehérvár on 22 February, Deputy Defence Minister Tamás Vargha, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence stated that the Hungarian Defence Forces guarantee the security of Hungarian citizens and families.
Speaking at the annual tasking and assessment conference of the HDF Joint Force Command, the State Secretary said that already in 2015, the Hungarian government had been the first to realize the inherent dangers of illegal migration, and defended Hungary by constructing a security barrier on the border, establishing an appropriate legal environment and involving soldiers and policemen in the tasks. “One of the most important features of statehood and a strong state is the ability to defend the borders, which is the basis of national sovereignty and self-determination”, Tamás Vargha emphasized, adding that these days the soldiers and policemen not only protect Hungary’s border but also that of Europe as a whole. Thanks to their work, Hungary is among the safest states in the world.
As Tamás Vargha pointed out, we must work to achieve that the cause of national defence becomes a national cause with real content. Among others, the current security challenges must be addressed, so there is a need for a new concept as well. This is the aim of the Zrínyi 2026 National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program, which formulates clear and scheduled ideas that span governments’ terms of office and rest on professional foundations. He added that one aim of the concept is to bring the strength of the armed forces to 30,000 and to complement them with a 20,000 strong all-volunteer reserve force organized on a territorial basis. “I think it is safe to say that the Zrínyi 2026 is the most comprehensive and complex armed forces development program in the last 25 years, and perhaps we can also say that it is the only plan in that whole period of time that can be taken seriously”, he emphasized.
Among the goals, the State Secretary mentioned the revival of Hungarian defence industry, which should able to supply the soldiers with Hungarian-made equipment in a sustainable way. Its implementation has already started, as the Ikarus company in Székesfehérvár is manufacturing 100 multi-functional buses for the Hungarian Defence Forces, and the first batch of vehicles will be soon delivered. He added that they also count on cooperation with the Rába Automotive Holding Plc. At the same time, the HDF must be open to society as well, for which one opportunity is created by the Defence Sport Associations. “Therefore, our aim is unambiguous and clear: to make the 170-year-old Hungarian Defence Forces a combat-worthy and modern force until the end of the program and term lasting until 2026”, Tamás Vargha underlined. The conference was attended, among others, by Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő as well.