On 26 October Hungarian Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő attended a conference held in Madrid with the participation of Chiefs of Defence from countries of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS).
“Courage and the desire for freedom occupy an important place in the Hungarian character” Minister of Defence István Simicskó said on Thursday at a memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution held at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Close to 1,000 volunteer reservists are currently on active duty in the military organizations of the Hungarian Defence Force.
At a conference of the Hungarian Atlantic Council in Budapest on Tuesday 13 October, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó said that for the maintenance of Europe’s security there is a great need for the United States, but the great power also needs Europe. US Ambassador to Budapest Colleen Bell also said that the United States needs a strong Europe, which in turn needs a strong United States.
NATO defence ministers held a day-long meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday 8 October 2015. The Hungarian minister of defence conducted several bilateral discussions in addition to the meeting.
“1848–49 was an unforgettable period of the awakening of Hungarian national consciousness”, the Minister of Defence said in Budapest on Tuesday 6 October, the Memorial Day of the Martyrs of Arad.
Everyone participating in the rescue effort, including members of the defence forces, passed the test with distinction at the time of the red sludge disaster, the Defence Minister said at a conference held on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the sludge flood.
Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó and Chief of Defence Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő inspected the ongoing construction of the temporary security barrier in the region of the Hungarian–Croatian border on Wednesday.
In accordance with the annual call-up plan, there are more than a hundred voluntary reservists serving in the Hungarian Defence Forces also at present. However, in the state of crisis caused by mass migration, reservists are being called up in even larger numbers than before.
Running until 21st October, the Brave Warrior 2015 military exercise has started. In the morning of Thursday, 17 September, Hungarian and American troops crossed a section of the Moson-Danube at Győr as part of the NATO training series.