The Hungarian army is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. However, like the army of any other country. In 2016, the strength of the Hungarian army was 31,080 military personnel in active military service, while the operational reserve brings the total number of troops to fifty thousand. In 2018, Hungary's military spending was $1.21 billion, about 0.94% of the country's GDP, well below NATO's target of 2%. In 2012, the government passed a resolution as a result of which Hungary committed to increase defense spending to 1.4% of GDP by 2022.
Military service, modernization and cybersecurity
Military service is voluntary, although conscription may occur during wartime. In a significant modernization move, Hungary decided in 2001 to buy 14 fighter jets from the Americans for a cost of about 800 million euros. Hungarian National Cyber Security Center reorganized in 2016 to be more efficientthanks to cyber security.
Out-of-country service
In 2016, the Hungarian armed forces had about 700 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of the international peacekeeping force, including 100 troops in the NATO-led peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, 210 Hungarian soldiers in Kosovo and 160 military personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hungary sent 300 logistic units to Iraq to help US troops with armed transport convoys, although ordinary citizens were against entering this war. During the operation, one Magyar soldier was killed by an Iraqi road mine.
A Brief History
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the hussars brought international fame to this country and served as a model of light cavalry in all European countries. In 1848-1849, the Hungarian army achieved incredible success in the fight against the well-trained and equipped Austrian forces, despite the obvious superiority of the latter in numbers. The winter campaign of 1848-1849 by Jozef Boehm and the spring campaign by Arthur Gerge are still studied in prestigious military schools around the world, even at West Point Academy in the United States and in Russian military schools.
In 1872, the Military Academy "Louis" officially began training cadets. By 1873, the Hungarian army already had over 2,800 officers and 158,000 employees. During the Great (World War I) of the eight million people mobilized by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, more than a million died. ATDuring the 1930s and early 1940s, Hungary was preoccupied with regaining vast territories and huge numbers of population lost after the signing of the Treaty of Trianon at Versailles in 1920. Conscription was introduced on a national basis in 1939. The size of the royal Hungarian army grew to 80,000 men, organized into seven corps. During the Great Patriotic War, the Hungarian army participated in the Battle of Stalingrad on the side of the Germans and was almost completely destroyed. During the era of socialism and the Warsaw Pact (1947–1989), it was completely restored and reorganized, thanks to the support of the USSR, it received full-fledged tank and missile troops.
According to the Global Peace Index 2016, Hungary is one of the most peaceful countries, ranking 19th out of 163.
Hungarian Red Army
During the era of the Socialist Bloc and the Warsaw Pact (1947-1989), the country's army was considered quite powerful. Between 1949 and 1955, huge efforts were also made to build and equip the Hungarian army. The huge costs of maintaining the military-industrial complex by 1956 practically ruined the country's economy.
Revolution
In the autumn of 1956, armed uprisings against the government were suppressed, and the Soviets carried out the dismantling of the entire Hungarian Air Force, because a significant part of the army fought on the same side as the revolutionaries. Three years later, in 1959, the Soviets began to help rebuild the Hungarianthe people's army and supply them with new weapons and equipment, as well as restore the Hungarian Air Force.
After the revolution
Satisfied that Hungary was stable and loyal to the Warsaw Pact, the USSR withdrew its troops from the country. The new Hungarian leader Janos Kadar asked Khrushchev to keep all 200,000 Soviet soldiers in the country, as he allowed the Hungarian People's Republic to neglect its own design armed forces, which quickly led to the deterioration of the army. Large sums of money were saved in this way and were spent on quality social programs for the population, so Hungary was able to become "the happiest barracks" in the Soviet bloc. Since the mid-1970s, limited modernization has taken place to replace old stocks of military equipment with new ones and allow the army to meet its obligations under the Warsaw Pact.
After the collapse of the Warsaw Pact
In 1997, Hungary spent about 123 billion forints (560 million US dollars) on defense. Since the late 90s, Hungary has been a full member of NATO, a military organization that unites most of the countries of Europe and America. Hungary provided air bases and support to the North Atlantic Alliance during its war against Serbia, and also contributed several military units to serve in Kosovo as part of a NATO-led operation. Thus, Hungary repeated its own actions at the beginning of World War II, when it, together with the Italo-German troops, invaded the territory of what was then Yugoslavia. LikeJust as the Hungarian Black Army led by Matthias Korvin instilled fear into Slavic and Romanian rebels in the Middle Ages, today's Magyar troops participate in all NATO-led military campaigns, continuing to maintain their long-established image of the most ferocious soldiers of Eastern Europe.
