Ukrainian crisis: demonstration of strength and dialogue together can bring peace

Budapest – Based on intelligence, Tibor Benkő believes that there is no need for NATO to deploy additional forces to Hungary.

In the Russian-Ukrainian situation, a dual unity of force demonstration and dialogue could create peace, the defense minister said in a background discussion.

Tibor Benkő said that the intelligence information in Hungary did not support and did not see the goal of NATO deploying additional forces in the country.

“NATO is us,” he said, noting:

There are currently two NATO leadership elements in Hungary.

At the same time, he put it: “We can’t calculate Russia’s intentions.”

Among the significant challenges, the Minister mentioned the unstable states in North Africa and the Middle East, terrorism, migration, hybrid warfare and the threat of cyber attacks. He also highlighted that scientists say the age of epidemics may come in the coming decades.

He also mentioned that

the intersection of the two NATO-identified threat directions, eastern and southern, is in Central Europe. Hungary can be affected by both, so there are significant challenges to be faced.

Tibor Benkő recalled the changes that the Hungarian army had undergone since 1989. Since then, there has been reorganization, reform, and revision, which has reduced the ability of the Hungarian Armed Forces.

As he said, they were able to start from the “bottom of the slope” in 2015, and among the first steps were to raise salaries that had remained unchanged since 2002. With this, they were able to stop and then stabilize and increase the number of members of the army, he said: since 2016, the number of members of the army has been rising and it has become so attractive that it can keep the soldiers.

The Minister presented in detail the results of the defense and force development program so far and its future objectives. Among them, he highlighted patriotic defense education. He said he has already signed contracts with hundreds of schools across the country in the Honvéd program, and is also working with nineteen universities.

Tibor Benkő recalled that earlier, as the Secretary of State for Defense, Ágnes Vadai “acknowledged” in 2009 that together with the Armed Forces, the social morale affecting the Armed Forces could be depreciated, so the development of the army should begin. The minister remarked “no wonder” as barracks were closed, refurbished technical equipment was sold, the army was reduced and the last military high school was closed.

The Minister also touched upon the opposition defense program described by Ágnes Vadai, DK representative, the other day. Tibor Benkő listed several points, assured he would introduce them if the opposition joined the government, although, as he noted, they have been around for years. These include housing benefits, health care benefits and cyber defense capabilities.