Hungary is Building Up a Military That Will Serve the Protection of Our Borders

Hungarian armed forces during the “Adaptive Hussars 2025” combat training exercise

Hungary is building up an armed force that will enable it to protect its borders by force of arms, as this is the ultimate guarantee of the Hungarian people’s security, Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized on Tuesday in Győr at a meeting for retired soldiers and military pensioners from the West Transdanubia region.

In connection with Russia’s war in Ukraine, the minister said that the “irresponsible leaders” of the European Union continue to undermine the peace efforts of the United States and “with money, weapons and, God forbid, soldiers, continue to fuel this militarily unwinnable conflict against a nuclear power,” even though Hungary is a neighboring country. This must be avoided at all costs, he stressed.

He added that an important aspect of this is that we also need a strong army under the umbrella of our peace policy, because peace requires strength. He recalled that in 2015, the government announced the Armed Forces Development Program, which has led to spectacular results.

With regard to personnel development, he said that much had been done to change the organizational culture and create a strong, effective, operational, and professional armed force. The framework for this is provided by the new legal system for soldiers, whose main objective is for the relevant commanders to directly evaluate the performance of their subordinates. The minister emphasized that, in his experience, the workforce supports this change.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky pointed out that

Hungary had committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, which the country achieved ahead of the agreed deadline of 2024 and has maintained ever since.

At the summit in The Hague, Hungary committed to moving toward 3.5 percent over the next ten years. The planning process for this is still ahead, he said.

Furthermore, the equipment of the Hungarian armed forces has changed compared to a few years ago. The minister explained that the individual equipment of soldiers is “before or during modernization,” which “also reflects our national traditions.”

In the land forces, “essentially all major equipment” had been replaced, most of which had already arrived. Next week, the last Leopard would be delivered, completing the fleet, the Lynx armored personnel carriers would arrive continuously, and next year the Tátra program would start, which would bring significant changes in the area of heavy-duty vehicles. The air force has been equipped with valuable, excellent, and high-quality new equipment, he listed.

Joint deployment of Lynx infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks at the Hungarian Armed Forces’ firing and training range near Veszprém in May 2025. Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor

The Minister of Defense emphasized that equipment alone does not mean much if appropriate procedures are not developed, if recruitment does not take place, if adequate training is not provided, or if the equipment is not properly maintained. He explained that the “Adaptive Hussars 2025” military exercise provided feedback on the development of the armed forces, the largest and most successful exercise in the country since the fall of communism.

H225M helicopters. The last two helicopters arrived in July 2025, completing the Hungarian Armed Forces’ fleet of medium-sized multi-purpose helicopters, which now comprises a total of 16 units. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that while there are still many areas that need more energy and money, at the same time, huge progress has been made in recent years, which is good for the Hungarian armed forces and the country.

18,000 soldiers and employees of the Ministry of Defense are retired. Past experiences and present strengths together shape the future, which is why the opinions of retired comrades are important, emphasized Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba

Second Brazilian-made Military Aircraft Lands in Kecskemét