EUFOR has a New Deputy Commander

July 4, 2011 7:59 AM

A ceremony to mark the handover of the position of EUFOR Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff (DCOM/COS) and the responsibilities of the Hungarian Senior National Representative (SNR) took place on Tuesday, June 28 in Camp Butmir, Sarajevo. The event marked the formal transfer of authority (TOA) from Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy – who has served as DCOM/COS for 17 months – to Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás. Maj.-Gen. József Kovács, Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) also attended the ceremony.

On Tuesday, June 28 HDF JFC Commander Maj.-Gen. József Kovács paid a visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). The general arrived in Camp Butmir to attend the EUFOR DCOM/COS TOA ceremony. Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy – who has served as DCOM/COS for 17 months – completed his tour of duty in EUFOR BiH on June 30. His successor for the next six months, Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás has been the commander of the HDF Operations and Doctrine Center. As Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy has been Hungary’s Senior National Representative (SNR) in Sarajevo, the two generals transferred the responsibilities of the SNR on June 28 too.

Maj.-Gen. Kovács was received in the morning hours with military honors at Camp Butmir, outside the container offices accommodating the Hungarian contingent. In what followed, the TOA ceremony of the SNR position took place in the presence of the HDF EUFOR-8 contingent as well as the Hungarian staff officers and NCOs holding EU and NATO posts within EUFOR HQ.

In his farewell speech Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy stressed that over the last 17 months he found that the rotations of the EUFOR contingents and the personnel serving in staff positions have delivered a professional performance while representing Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces. The general added that currently EUFOR has military personnel from a total of 26 troop contributing nations. In an environment like that, it is a great honor to learn that the Hungarian troops have done a good job.

“I would like to thank all of you – including the personnel of the other two contingents with whom I have been working together during the last 17 months – for your honorable conduct and professionalism in task execution”, Brig.-Gen. Nagy said. Following the report on the transfer of authority, Brig.-Gen. Gulyás addressed the Hungarian troops. He stressed that Operation EUFOR Althea is an important international mission of the European Union, a highly significant military activity undertaken in the interest of European unity. The security situation and the stability of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the fight against organized crime and the arrest of suspected war criminals are priorities for Hungary as well. “Allow me to thank Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy for his conscientious work done over the last one and a half years as Deputy Commander EUFOR and later as Chief of Staff. I am pleased to take over these two very complex positions which demand a special sense of responsibility and present a lot of interesting challenges.”, Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás said. He has an in-depth understanding of the region, since in 2010 he served for six months in Bosnia-Herzegovina as Chief of Staff for NATO HQ Sarajevo.

In what followed, HDF JFC Commander Maj.-Gen. József Kovács first presented tokens of appreciation to Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy and several members of the Hungarian contingent, then addressed the troops. “In January 2010, with General Nagy’s assuming duties here in Sarajevo, the Hungarian Defence Forces took on an unique role and a highly responsible position.”, Maj.-Gen. Kovács noted, and went on saying that this position demands abilities in the field of military leadership as well as military diplomacy.

“Brig.-Gen. Nagy has been highly instrumental in achieving that the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina are now looking on the Hungarian troops as real professionals in performing their duties, and know that they have a key role in maintaining a safe and secure environment (SASE) in BiH”, Maj.-Gen. József Kovács said.

After the TOA ceremony Maj.-Gen. Kovács had a discussion with COM EUFOR Maj.-Gen. Bernhard Bair. The two-star Austrian general opened the discussion by thanking the Hungarian troops for their role in Bosnia-Herzegovina, emphasizing that Hungary is the second largest troop contributing nation in EUFOR BiH. The two also discussed the future of EUFOR. In addition to the military leaders of the mission, the personnel of the Multinational Battalion (MNBN) comprising Austrian, Turkish and Hungarian companies also lined up for the DCOM EUFOR/COS TOA ceremony. The outgoing DCOM EUFOR, Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy said that his tour of duty in Sarajevo had been one of the most memorable parts of his military career. During the last 17 months he had the opportunity to get to know a beautiful country where talented people live. Addressing the COM EUFOR, Brig.-Gen. Nagy stressed that he had served in Bosnia-Herzegovina under his professional command in the past one and a half years.

In his speech, Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy said his special thanks go to his wife for the support that he received from her. As he noted, “She is the one who has really learnt what it is like to be a military wife over the past few decades.”

Maj-Gen. Bair presented the EUFOR Operation Althea Medal to Brig-Gen. Nagy in recognition of his work, then the two Hungarian generals gave formal reports on the transfer of authority. Afterwards Brig-Gen. Gulyás delivered a short welcome speech, in which he stressed that he is ready for executing the tasks of the next six months.

In his speech at the event, the COM EUFOR pointed out that he could always rely on Brig.-Gen. Tibor Nagy for his assistance and professionalism. Addressing Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás, he stressed that he was looking forward to working together with his new deputy to take forward the mission. After finishing his speech, Maj-Gen. Bair greeted Marika, Brig-Gen. Tibor Nagy’s wife by presenting her a big bunch of flowers.