The objective of NATO is security. It is based on peace which should be secured with force if necessary in order to protect and defend our common values. This is what we have been involved in Afghanistan for over a decade – Minister of Defence Mr Csaba Hende said in Hajmáskér on 26th November.

At the takeover ceremony of the 12 MRAP armoured combat vehicles lent for training and mission preparation purposes by the US Forces European Command the Minister of Defence of Hungary said that “the Hungarian Defence Forces have completely executed and will accomplish every mission taken up on the request of the Alliance and on our own decision in accordance with our national interests. In this activity Hungary has been provided significant support by the armed forces and the government of the USA.”

 
Quoting the words of former US Ambassador to NATO Ms Victoria Nuland Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of the US Embassy in Budapest Mr M. André Goodfriend emphasised that “America needs a strong Europe and Europe needs a strong America”. “The greater the transatlantic challenges are the more important it is for both America and Europe to collectively meet such challenges.”

In his speech Mr Goodfriend highlighted that the support of Alliance members is of particular importance now when the nature of the Afghanistan involvement is about to change because parallel with the de-conflicting of the situation prevention should be given an increasing importance.

The 12 Navistar MaxxPro Plus – also known as Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) – armoured fighting vehicles were delivered to the firing range of the Bakony Combat Training Centre, Hungary, in late September. The training that has already begun since then is efficiently supported by the fact that prospective drivers have a chance to learn the specific features of the vehicle in home-base conditions and can acquire the competency for its skilful operation. The main speciality of the extremely durable fighting vehicle is its capacity to resist to a blast of as much as seven kilograms of high explosive material. This capability is extremely important in Afghanistan, where improvise explosive devices are frequently used for attacking convoys on roads.
 
The capacities of the MRAP were displayed at a dynamic demonstration after the handover ceremony.
 

(Ministry of Defence)