Hungarian military defends Baltic airspace

Hungary is in charge of the protection of the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for a period of four months as of 1 September as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. At the official rotation ceremony, Hungary took over the mission at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania from Norway and Italy.

According to
a statement by the Hungary Ministry of Defense, the air contingent rotation
ceremony, with the symbolic handover of the key to Baltic airspace, took place
at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania in the morning of 31 August in the
presence of Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Juozas Olekas and Hungarian
Defense Minister Csaba Hende.

Lieutenant-Colonel
Tamás Fekete, commander of the Hungarian contingent took over the key which symbolizes
the responsibilities of the mission from Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Anderson on
behalf of the Norwegian air force and Colonel Vito Cracas on behalf of the
Italian air force at the ceremony, following which he reported to his
superiors: Hungarian pilots as well as the Hungarian technical and support
personnel are ready to protect the air space of the Baltic countries.

At the
ceremony, the Lithuanian Minister of National Defense thanked the Norwegian and
Italian soldiers for the service they have rendered in the last few months, and
welcomed members of the Hungarian contingent who will for the first time take
part in the mission in the history of the protection of the Baltic countries’
airspace. In his speech, Juozas Olekas highlighted the significance of
Lithuanian and Hungarian defense cooperation, and the exemplary cooperation
which exists between the armies and air forces of the two countries.

As Defense
Minister Csaba Hende pointed out in his speech, Hungary as a member of NATO is
committed to improving the capability of its armed forces so as to contribute
to the common defense effort, in addition to the protection of Hungary itself.
Baltic airspace has recently become one of the most complex airspaces of
Europe, and perhaps of the whole of NATO, with special regard to the tense
international situation which has evolved in consequence of the crisis in
Ukraine.

“Hungarian
soldiers are committed, highly qualified and fully prepared for leading the
Baltic airspace defence mission”, the Minister stated. “The objective of the
Hungarian contingent is to continue the excellent work rendered by the allies,
and to make every effort for the peace and security of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania.”

In addition
to the four Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen fighter planes, four Eurofighters of the
German air force will serve at the air base in Lithuania. The Hungarian
contingent deployed on a rotational basis will number more than eighty persons,
most of whom serve at the MH 59th Szentgyörgyi Dezsõ Air Base in Kecskemét.

The
statement points out that NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission is a good
example of the division and utilization of the Alliance’s existing
capabilities. The Hungarian mission, which will last from September until the end
of December, will be the 39th rotation of BAP conducted by the Alliance, and
this is the first time that Hungary secures the airspace above Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania under the auspices and direction of NATO. Hungary is the 16th
NATO Member State to take over the mission, thereby expressing its solidarity
and unity with the Alliance.