The Hungarian Minister of Defense is currently dismissing hundreds of high-ranking officers by means of a government decree. According to the minister, the move is aimed at rejuvenating and modernizing the army. However, the opposition suspects political reasons behind this.
On 17 January, a government decree was published in the Hungarian Official Gazette concerning all soldiers and officers serving in the commands, formations and support organizations of the Hungarian armed forces and in the military staff of the Ministry of Defence. Citing the need to rejuvenate army personnel, the government decrees that the Minister of Defense may, by unilateral decision and with a two-month notice period, terminate the service of soldiers who have reached the age of 45 and have served for at least 25 years. According to Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, who took office last June, this option “paves the way for the rise of a young generation of commanders”. Szalay-Bobrovniczky continued: “The command and officer staff must be restructured so that young people can advance.”
For the personnel concerned, the government is introducing a so-called “national defense service allowance”, which is not granted automatically but is subject to an individual ministerial decision. It is based on 70 percent of the last salary, but the amount is reduced by two percent per year between the current age and the standard retirement age. According to the ministry, this “unprecedentedly advantageous allowance” is available in full to those entitled to it until they reach retirement age, even if they are already working elsewhere. Political loyalty as the true background?
The platform telex.hu reports that up to 170 officers received their immediate retirement or transfer notice in the first few days and that talks have already been held with around 100 of them. According to another source, 157 officers up to the rank of general have resigned with immediate effect. The former Secretary of State for National Defense, Ágnes Vadai, from DK, which is in opposition to Fidesz, said on ATV Straight Talk on January 19: “It is not yet known where this will end, but I have heard from thousands of people from the Ministry of Defense. The Minister of Defense, under the right granted by the decree, has in fact initiated a major purge among officers and senior officers, members of the Army General Staff have been dismissed en masse and generals and colonels have been verbally released. This also means a NATO weakening in the Hungarian armed forces, which is underway. It affects 45-year-old officers and generals, soldiers with international experience, who speak many languages and were socialized in NATO.” Vadai also mentions that the aim of the measures is also to make political loyalty (meaning to the ruling Fidesz party) the norm in the Hungarian army from now on. https://militaeraktuell.at/deutschland-schickt-doch-leopard-2-in-die-ukraine/ The Hungarian medium alfahir.hu asked on 20 January: “Will the Hungarian armed forces be decapitated or is rejuvenation justified?” Just two days after the announcement, layoffs had already begun in the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Hungarian Armed Forces, according to alfahir.hu. The Hungarian tabloid Blikk claims to have learned that there have been “feverish” talks in the ministry since January 19, to which generals and high-ranking officers – allegedly more than a hundred – have been summoned. According to Blikk, the events within the Hungarian armed forces are often seen as a “decapitation”. “We don’t yet know what level they want to lower it to. There are many people who have just been appointed and are now being shoveled away,” a career officer, whose identity was kept secret, told the newspaper. It is not yet known whether the measure also affects Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi as Chief of the Honvéd General Staff. In addition to the two central offices, the dismissal of leaders in the troops has also begun, with even commanders having to leave their posts. In many cases, the letters of dismissal have not yet been received; they will reportedly be sent out in the coming days.
A request by Blikk to the ministry’s press department to confirm that such a large number of senior officers were affected and how they would receive their resignations has so far gone unanswered.
Defense union stands by measures
The idea of rejuvenation was welcomed by the defense union. According to another anonymous officer – who, it should be noted, does not meet the new dismissal criteria – this type of personnel change is nothing new and similar procedures are practiced in many armies, from the United States to the Czech Republic. “Of course, this hurts the self-confidence of many people. It’s not easy to leave after 25 years of service and have to find a place in civilian life. But to rejuvenate yourself, you have to be able to accept this solution.” In an interview with the Hungarian opposition newspaper Magyar Nemzet on January 18, Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczk tries to justify the dismissals: “Due to the war raging in Ukraine with no foreseeable end and reminiscent of 20th century battles, as well as the deterioration of the situation due to the aggressive migration pressure on our southern borders, the attention of Hungarian society and political leadership has increasingly turned to security and defense issues. The current war situation is a reminder that peace requires strength, and strength requires a modern, capable army. We are therefore constantly modernizing the armed forces – and we cannot ignore the personnel sector. It is our historic opportunity and duty to actively make serious direct changes. Now is the time to do so and the government has now prepared the emergency decree to regulate the changes.”
“The current war situation is a reminder that peace requires strength, and strength requires a modern, capable army.
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Szalay-Bobrovniczk also argues in the interview: “Another aspect is that a lot of modern equipment has been added to our armed forces in recent years, the operation of which and the associated professional training and exercises require young and dynamic leaders. In addition, modern ways of thinking are required in order to adopt the combat procedures used in current armed conflicts and wars at an operational and tactical level and to be able to practice them ourselves if necessary.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to pave the way for older personnel who have performed with integrity in the service to leave the service with a dignified and fair form of compensation and for young leaders to take their place.” https://militaeraktuell.at/polnisch-tschechische-nachbarschaftshilfe/ When asked by Magyar Nemzet whether the troops will not miss the experience of the personnel now leaving, Szalay-Bobrovniczk replied: “Of course, the importance of knowledge and experience cannot be replaced by modern equipment alone, as such equipment is worth nothing without the soldier who operates it. We therefore make personnel decisions very carefully, with the help of my colleagues – in many cases at individual discretion – in particular to ensure that the functioning of the units and services concerned is guaranteed at all times and that the knowledge and experience accumulated over decades is always retained in the organizational units.” The Minister of Defense continued: “I am therefore convinced that this rejuvenation is in the interest of the Hungarian nation and the Hungarian military and that both will benefit from it. A more modern, more efficient army means a safer Hungary. And the offer that the Hungarian state is now making to those who have distinguished themselves in the service is fair and will be appreciated by those affected.” Majority of Hungarians view the measure negatively
In a survey of 6,864 people conducted by Magyar Nemzet, 74 percent view the current decision critically. Only 26% were in favor of it, while 56% feared that decades of experience would be lost as a result. On the other hand, 19 percent said it was legitimate to send soldiers into civilian life, as they were still “people of an old world”. Their time is up and they need to be replaced by youthful vigor. Incidentally, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky was appointed Hungarian Minister of Defense last year. Before that, the 52-year-old confidant of Hungarian President Viktor Orban (his wife Alexandra Szentkirályi is the Hungarian government spokesperson) worked as a diplomat and entrepreneur. In 2021, Szalay-Bobrovniczky succeeded in taking over the largest Czech aircraft Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero-Vodochodywhich in April 2022 announced the sale of 12 L-39NG single-engine jet trainers to the Hungarian Air Force in April 2022. was completed. By this time, however, Szalay-Bobrovniczky had already sold his shares in Aero to avoid a conflict of interest. Zsolt Hernádi, President and CEO of the Hungarian oil company MOL, took over the shares with the company SI 13 Aero Zrt.
