At a ceremony held on May 24 Col. Tibor Rózsa, the Chief of the CIMIC Directorate of the HDF Joint Force Command handed over the responsibilities of chief of staff of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo (NHQ Sa) to his successor to the post, Col. (Eng.) Ferenc Kovács, the commander of the HDF 12th Arrabona Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Regiment of Győr.

Brig.-Gen. Gary E. Huffman, the commander of NHQ Sa and his deputy, Col. Dr. John Andreas Olsen also attended the transfer of authority ceremony, which took place in the presence of the soldiers serving at the HQ and several invited guests.

Brig.-Gen. Huffman thanked Col. Rózsa for his work done over the last six months by handing him a certificate of merit, and praised the Hungarian military contribution to the work of the NHQ Sa.

In his speech, Col. Rózsa thanked his former colleagues for the help and support he had received from them while filling the position, and wished the incoming commander from Győr every success, determination and soldier’s luck.

Col. Kovács delivered a speech in which he thanked the outgoing Chief of Staff for his assistance with the transfer of authority period, and wished the personnel returning home a good journey. He said he hoped that the staff of NHQ Sa would support his work the same way it did in the case of his outgoing predecessor in the position.

There are currently four Hungarian soldiers – three field officers and one NCO – serving at the NATO HQ Sarajevo.

(Ministry of Defence; Maj. Róbert Gubisi)