The soldiers of the incoming 12th rotation of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT-12) recently mounted a culmination exercise (CULEX) to demonstrate their readiness to deploy on a mission abroad. Most of the contingent has been drawn from the HDF 5th ‘Bocskai István’ Infantry Brigade of Hódmezővásárhely.

Under the terms of an international agreement, the Hungarians were joined by Albanian, Croatian and Montenegrin troops. The commander of the contingent, which is scheduled to deploy in Afghanistan in February 2012, is Lt.-Col. János Somogyi, his deputy is Lt.-Col. Norbert Kerezsy.

Due to the security situation in Afghanistan, the soldiers need to train for all kinds of situations. As part of the CULEX, on the range of Dóc, the personnel of the Force Protection (FP) company of the contingent demonstrated how they can respond to an enemy attack. The next day a high-ranking commander arrived in the camp to participate in a school handover ceremony. After his briefing the superior, accompanied by the HUN PRT commander, set out for the scene of the school handover ceremony, the ‘Gregus Máté’ Secondary School. With this choice of the venue, the organizers intended to place the training audience in a completely unfamiliar environment. The umpires participating in the exercise were overseeing the checking and security tasks being executed by the troops inside the school building.

According to Brig.-Gen. Dr. Gábor Böröndi, the commander of the Bocskai brigade, the Hódmezővásárhely school provided an excellent backdrop to exercise live task execution. He said he was proud of the personnel of the brigade, in particular the Hódmezővásárhely troops, because they have given proof of their high professional standards in preparing for this mission.

(Ministry of Defence)