The Hungarian government plans on expanding its military reserves to 20,000 by 2026, it has been revealed.
István Simicskó, minister of Defense, said the size and capabilities of Hungary’s military have diminished since the 1989-1990 political change. However, it will improve with the implementation of the Zrínyi 2026 scheme.
The minister said that the defense side of the project aims to restructure the reservist system and the Hungarian military would hire some 1,000 new reservists between now and the 2018 general election.
The minister said that Hungary had just 17 reservists in 2010, which he blamed on the 2004 law abolishing mandatory military service. Right now Hungary’s defense force has over 5,000 reservists, but this force lacks “real capabilities", Minister Simicskó said.