Hungarian Defence Research Articles

Innovation of the Leader Selection and Preparation System of the Hungarian Defence Forces in the Light of Technical Progress

Innovation of the Leader Selection and Preparation System of the Hungarian Defence Forces in the Light of Technical Progress

Empirical Studies of Russian–Ukrainian War Related Fake News (Part 2)

The Russian–Ukrainian war, which broke out on 24 February 2022, resulted in several paradigm shifts in cyberwarfare. One aspect of these changes is psychological operations. Russia and Ukraine have conducted extensive psychological operations campaigns to fulfil their war aims, which have since been intense along modified objectives. This series of studies examines the impact of war-related fake news through various empirical research. In the first part of the paper, the authors read the emergence of psychological operations and related terms in the international academic literature using network analysis methodology. In the second part of the paper, the authors use sentiment and network analysis to investigate the spread of different fake news. In the third study, the authors measure the attitudes toward the perception of the Hungarian Defence Forces from the perspective of the war in the neighbouring country.

Impact of pre-modern war on forests: The case of the Hungarian-Ottoman Military Frontier (ca. 1521–1690)

The paper aims at demonstrating the impact of premodern wars on forest resources. The example studied is Transdanubia (Dunántúl) in present-day Western Hungary which in the early modern times was a site of a lasting military struggle between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary ruled by the Habsburgs for the time being. It is argued that in the military defense of the region, the Hungarian party heavily relied on the usage of natural obstacles, such as marshes, rivers, and woodlands. The region chosen for a qualitative analysis is Western Transdanubia with the River Rába/Raab at its center. Using surveys, defense plans, letters, and other sources it is demonstrated that forests combined with waterways were key elements of the military tactics of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Hungarian defense system. Forests therefore had a strategic role in the period of the Ottoman wars, and as such were strictly taken care of and administered by landlords, and military personnel.

The deployment of Elbit Skylark I-LEX unmanned reconnaissance airplane in the Hungarian Defence Forces

Az orosz–ukrán háború bebizonyította, hogy a modern hadviselés egyik meghatározó eleme a drónokkal vívott légi háború. A Magyar Honvédség már a konfliktus kirobbanását megelőzően megkezdte a modern, merev szárnyú, pilóta nélküli légi járművek alkalmazását. Ennek a fejlesztési folyamatnak az egyik első állomása az izraeli Elbit Systems Ltd. cégcsoport által gyártott Skylark I-LEX pilóta nélküli légijármű-rendszer beszerzése és műveleti alkalmazása.

Hungarian Army Role 2 Capability

The Fundamental Law of Hungary and the National Military Strategy both state that the Hungarian Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of the independence of the state, and its citizens and enforcement of the state’s interests. Thus, the Hungarian Government decided to extend the capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces with a Role 2 field hospital. Being a NATO member country Hungary has decided to join NATO and other joint missions providing both with military force, and logistical and medical support. However, until now, Hungary was not able to support its troops or NATO allied forces with an independent Role 2 level medical facility, which would beable to provide life-saving, limb-saving and function saving surgeries, and short term intensive and postoperative care outside Hungary’s borders as a deployed field hospital. According to the instruction of the Hungarian Government, the planning stage has begun and the first steps of the acquisition process was made. This article guides the reader through the doctrinal and legislative frameworks, the organisational structure, and the facilities and capabilities of the Role 2 field hospital unit.

Развитие вооруженных сил и оборонно-промышленного комплекса Венгрии: стратегия правительства В. Орбана

The article examines Hungary’s modernization of Armed Forces and expansion of the capabilities of the country’s defence-industrial complex (DIC). Using the neorealistic paradigm, the author analyzes the main directions in which the Hungarian army and the MIC developed during the leadership of the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The 10-year development program of the Hungarian Defence Forces – Zrínyi – involves a significant increase in their capabilities by 2026. Official plans to expand and modernize the DIC include the target to make the Hungarian state one of the leaders of the defense industry in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by 2030. The main partners in this area are going to be companies not only from the member states of the European Union (Germany, France and the Czech Republic), but also from Turkey and Israel. Reforming the army and increasing the technological level of the DIC are primarily aimed at strengthening the country’s economy and protecting the state borders and Hungarian citizens both in Hungary itself and in Ukraine, in Transcarpathia. At the same time, the Prime Minister V. Orbán is confident that NATO’s actions can only be aimed at self-defense. This is related to the refusal of the Hungarian authorities to supply weapons to Kiev. However, Hungary is not only strengthening mechanized troops (German Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, Turkish Gidrán armored personnel carriers), the country’s Air Force (Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft) and Air Defense (Norwegian–American NASAMS anti-aircraft missile complex), but also, reflecting on the experience of the conflict in Ukraine, returns to the use of artillery, considers the possibility of producing drones and more ammunition on its territory, and also wants to increase the offensive potential of its Armed Forces thanks to modern multiple rocket launchers like HIMARS. Despite the fact that Hungary, according to V. Orbán, is on the side of the ‘peace party’, in the future, as part of NATO in the CEE region, there will be a modernized army with a proper defence-industrial complex, ready for a ‘new generation’ conflict. The Hungarian political opposition in turn advocates for military assistance to Ukraine and curtailing relations with Russia, while being actively encouraged by the United States.

Empirical Studies of Russian–Ukrainian War Related Fake News (Part 1)

The Russian–Ukrainian war, which broke out on February 24, 2022, resulted in several paradigm shifts in cyber warfare. One aspect of these changes is psychological operations. Russia and Ukraine have conducted extensive psychological operation campaigns to fulfil their war objectives, which have since been intense along modified intentions. This series of studies examines the impact of war-related fake news through various empirical research.In the first part of the paper, the authors examine the emergence of psychological operations and related terms in the international academic literature using network analysis methodology. In the second part of the paper, the authors use sentiment and network analysis to investigate the spread of different fake news. In the third study, the authors measure the attitudes toward the perception of the Hungarian Defence Forces from the perspective of the war in the neighbouring country.

Hand-to-hand Combat in World War I as the Royal Hungarian Defence Forces’ Soldiers saw it

World War I. showed so much bloodshed that had never been seen before. On the contrary of the high effectiveness of firepower, combatants had to fight face-to-face many times. Frequently, they could not use their firearms efficiently for various reasons. In many situations, this led to hand-to-hand combat that resembled the struggling of long gone ages. In the era of our topic opinions on hand-to-hand combat were controversial. On one hand, Hand-to-hand combat was emphasized by the training methods of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. On the other hand, armed forces of other countries did not find it so vital. In my opinion, the strife of the Royal Hungarian Defence Forces in World War I. has its own value nowadays as well. Firepower has been increasing and the other factors that forced soldiers to fight in close combat have not disappeared either.

Reforming the Hungarian defense force

Reforming the Hungarian defense force

Effect of Low Dose Ionising Radiation on the Amount of Mitochondrial Common Deletion and D-Loop Tandem Duplication in Human Peripheral Whole Blood

The Hungarian Defence Forces assume a significant role in disaster prevention, including nuclear accident prevention tasks, so both the command and executive staff can stay in the higher-than-natural dose area. The current “gold standard” microscopic method aimed at determining the radiation dose suffered is the dicentric chromosome assay (DIC), although sensitive and accurate, it is very time-consuming. Monitoring changes in the amount of common deletion (CD) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and in the D-loop a tandem duplication (TD) of mtDNA may be a reliable marker of exposure to ionising radiation. This work used the PCR method to investigate how CD and TD change in human blood samples after X-ray irradiation. The CD appears to be a particularly useful marker, as its maximum is below the threshold for clinical symptoms. This work is the first to show the relationship between radiation and tandem duplication. The TD we investigated occurredmore frequently in irradiated human blood samples than native ones. During the future development of the diagnostic tool, both CD and TD are informative and would be used together in a PCR system to detect acute and cumulative irradiation. In recent years, more and more health institutions are dealing with molecular biological diagnostic work. In a disaster situation, if the laboratory capacity of the Hungarian Defence Forces would not be sufficient for this, more external laboratories can be involved for PCR measurements than for traditional microscopic work.

The Hungarian Defence Sports Association

In our joint study, we present the role of the Defence Sports Association and its achievements in the past period, in the complex system of patriotic and national defence education to make them available to the international scientific community. We also introduce the readers to the possibilities and plans for the future of the Association.

National Defence of Hungary – Military Units and Military Facilities of Debrecen (Part 2)

The army has always played a major role in the performance of defence tasks in Hungary. This article presents the development of Hungary’s national defence from the collapse of the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy in 1918 to the present day. It describes the ground, cavalry and air units of the Royal Hungarian Army stationed in Debrecen since 1920, the military facilities used by the Soviet Red Army in Debrecen, and the units of the Hungarian Defence Forces operating in the city. It presents the work, activities, tasks and military facilities of the following entities: HDF 5th “István Bocskai” Infantry Brigade, HDF 24th “Gergely Bornemissza” Reconnaissance Regiment, HDF 2nd “vitéz Antal Vattay” Territorial Defence Regiment, 3rd “Sándor Oláh” Territorial Defence Battalion and the HDF Military Administration and Central Registry Command 2nd Augmentation and Recruitment Centre, and the 3rd Augmentation and Recruitment Office, the last two of which being responsible for providing supplies.

Condition of decommissioned military barracks in Hungary

Abstract The reforming of the armed forces caused huge and continuous cuts to the manpower and to the finances. Which resulted of the decommission of numerous barracks throughout the country. The size and structure of these forces was not appropriate for the threats that the country faced, and country did not have the required resources to develop a new form for its armed forces. The aim of this article was to investigate opportunities in the case of decommissioned barracks, which point to the possibility of re-using abandoned buildings and sites and reducing the environmental damage that can still be found there. Due to changes in the economy and society of Hungary at the end of the 20th century, the number of barracks/garrisons and the structure of the Hungarian Defence Forces have changed substantially over the intervening years. Most of the garrisons in the countryside have been downsized by hasty decisions, leaving behind non-utilized and unsalvaged areas and in many cases a vast infrastructural heritage. Opportunities for the utilization of these abandoned facilities and the amelioration of environmental damage must be sought. Therefore, it was necessary to map and investigate the current conditions of these former garrisons. The author visited most of the closed barracks in all the counties of Hungary. The author also searched for information about Hungarian and Soviet barracks and examined the condition of decommissioned barracks at first only the possibility of their utilization was considered, later, an environmental point of view was added.

The evolution of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ volunteer reserve component after the Cold War

When Hungary transformed to an all-volunteer force in 2004, most attention was given to the regular component and very little mention was made of reservists. The main goal of this study is to draw attention to the importance of, and the potential, in the reserve component using historical research to produce an overview of how the reserve component of the Hungarian Defence Forces has evolved since the end of the Cold War. Information was collected and analysed from the discussed time period and interpretations were made of the collected evidence through systematic methods appraising all available studies to synthesise the findings. Similarly to other countries in the region, more than a century of conscription and the Warsaw Pact legacy still haunts the Hungarian Defence Forces. Fortunately, Hungary’s NATO membership spearheaded the drive for qualitative change within the armed forces and more attention was paid to a volunteer reserve system. Hungary’s NATO membership has ushered in a new era of security guarantees and obligations which, among other things, brought with it the realisation that the time for qualitative change in the armed forces had come. Among other changes, an initial shift of emphasis towards a reserve system – followed by the adoption of the all-volunteer force model – made it clear that a new basis had to be provided upon which to address the reserve issue in Hungary.

Voluntary military service for Hungarian people who have lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic – A qualitative study

This qualitative study deals with the military service of people who have lost their job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to its basic tasks, the Hungarian Defence Forces has been the first to get involved in the Hungarian Government’s Economy Protection Action Plan by creating jobs for unemployed citizens. The study was conducted among those who had signed up for the temporarily created special volunteer reservist service aiming to find out what motivated them to choose the military career and what their future ambitions are. After the Grounded Theory analysis of 49 semi-structured interviews, it was found that the special volunteer service provides livelihood and daily routines for those involved but still they have very few plans for the future.

Developing and Improving Guidelines for the Management of Ammunition in NATO Technical Working Groups : An interview with Lieutenant Colonel György Miklósi

The present publication is an interpretation of a professional discussion between two experts both of whom have decades of experience in the field of ammunition life cycle management. The report discusses the process of developing ammunition life cycle guidelines for NATO.2 It will cover the different working groups, their structures, their working procedures, their relationships and the methodology used to develop ammunition management guidelines. In terms of international relations, the publication briefly discusses the cooperation and communication between the NATO Working Groups on Ammunition and the other UN3 and EU4 Task Forces with similar tasks. The interview was conducted with one of the most knowledgeable experts in this field in Hungary, Lieutenant Colonel György Miklósi, who provides a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned topics and details the tasks to be carried out by the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces in the development and implementation of new domestic regulations on ammunition handling compatible with NATO guidelines. The interview does not neglect to mention the obstacles and contains valuable insights as a thought provoker or discussion starter.

A short overview of the reform of Hungarian defence and security regulations

At the autumn session of 2020, the Hungarian National Assembly issued the ninth amendment of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, which substantially reforms the foundations of the system of rules concerning the special legal order which enters into force on 1 July 2023.1 However, the Fundamental Law provision is only the first step in a comprehensive series of legislation and measures that will put the entire defenceand security administration on a new footing. Without aiming to be exhaustive, this text provides a short overview of the provisions and legislative steps underlying the Fundamental Law that will renew the depth and functioning of the defence and security regulatory system and enable public administration as a whole to better meet the security challenges of the 21st century.

Wykorzystanie obrony narodowej w sytuacjach kryzysowych na Węgrzech i w Polsce, w szczególności do problemów związanych z pandemią COVID-19

The aim of the study was to examine the Hungarian Defence Forces’ role in implementing state measures against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, we decided to look at it from a comparative perspective, as we are also examining how and to what extent the Polish Armed Forces were involved in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. The legal framework for the involvement of the armed forces in the comparative performance of tasks in this area by the civil administration was also examined.

A New Military Hierarchy of Needs Model

The aim of our research was to create an up-to-date model of the hierarchy of needs of regular soldiers serving in the Hungarian Defense Forces. Our starting point was the theory of motivation, which states that people’s actions are motivated by a system of needs. As qualitative systematic data analysis offers an opportunity to create a relevant (decisive) theory to answer the main research question, we based our analysis on the grounded theory method. The results showed that the needs identified in our model often resembled those identified in other theories, including military models, although on different levels. The hierarchy of needs pyramid that we constructed contains terms such as resources, power, team spirit, development, quest for challenges, and fulfillment and, by way of general background, appreciation. Our research broadened our knowledge regarding individuals’ motivation to choose a military career.

Changes in the health status of the Hungarian Defence Forces in an ageing society

Abstract Introduction The continuous collection, monitoring, and analysis of morbidity data enable health professionals to plan the capacity of the care system, to organise and optimise care, to measure the burden of diseases resulting from each morbidity, and to estimate its expected evolution. Material and methods In our study, we analyse the data of patient flow reports for the period 2011 to 2020 for the healing and preventive basic service defined as the basic task of the primary health care system (troop health service) of the Hungarian Defence Forces. Results Over 850,000 doctor-patient encounters over the ten-year period were mostly due to some form of acute care need, infection, and respiratory illness. The morbidity structure has not changed significantly over the period. In all cases, the top three were diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), diseases of the circulatory system (I00-I99), as well as musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases (M00-M99). In 2020, the highest number of people with restrictions for health reasons in the period under review was 131 for diseases of the circulatory system and 179 for musculoskeletal disorders. In recent years, the time spent on medical leave or on sick leave has increased significantly in terms of the number of cases of incapacity to work. Conclusions Accurate knowledge of morbidity and health data can also provide the military leadership with important information on combat fitness, especially when the ever-increasing task load (mission activity, border tasks, Covid-19) has to be met by an armed corps selected from an ageing population.