Military News Today

Croatian, Hungarian and Italian forces demonstrated their combat readiness with a live-fire exercise in Hungary at the Bakony Training Area in Hungary, boosting defence and the ability of different Allied forces to operate effectively together on NATO’s eastern flank.

Italian Centauro vehicles and armoured vehicles, as well as Hungarian PzH self-propelled howitzers, Leopard II tanks, drones, and helicopters took over the ‘Böszörményi Géza’ Central Training and Firing Range in Újmajor, western Hungary. Between 30th June and 2nd July, the NATO Forward Land Force Multinational Battle Group (NATO FLF BG HUN) took part in training,

“International forces arrive in Hungary every six months. We are currently working with Italian, Croatian, and Turkish forces as the framework nation. We immediately subject the units to joint procedures, with all sections performing the same shooting and exercises. This enables us to carry out battalion-level tasks similar to those we are performing today,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Botond Hetényi, commander of the multinational battle group in Újmajor.

Approximately 800 Italian, Croatian, and Hungarian soldiers were deployed, joined by cooperating U.S. Steppe Archer combat support units, while the Hungarian Defense Forces’ ‘Kiss József’ 86th Helicopter Brigade provided helicopters.

“The various units can only manoeuvre together, as they represent different capabilities within the combat group. The Italian rifle company provides combat support, while the Croatian contingent specialises in fighting insurgents. Of course, they can also be deployed for conventional operations,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hetényi.

In accordance with the training scenario, the combat group had to capture enemy objects, strongholds, and territories. However, the exact tasks were not known in advance, and they had to navigate through unforeseen situations.

Since last fall, the unit under the command of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ ‘Bocskai István’ 11th Armored Brigade, has been strengthening NATO’s position in the eastern part of the alliance.

In recent years, several forward international combat groups have been established in several countries in the region, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The training was observed on site on July 1, by Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Chief of the Hungarian Defence Forces General Staff, and Brigadier General Balázs Szloszjár, Deputy Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces Joint Operations Command.