Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky told parliament's defense and law enforcement committee at his annual hearing that the country’s military had already taken big steps towards achieving this goal.
Hungarian soldiers were serving in an exemplary way at UN headquarters in Nicosia and were making a big contribution towards ensuring the conflict moved towards a resolution.
The aim is to strengthen the European Union's defense and crisis management capability which is particularly important because of the migration situation.
Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said: “Times are tough, Europe today is preparing for war."
The recent visit forms part of the president’s program of visiting every county to learn first-hand about local affairs.
Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said wages are increasing by an average of 11% from January 2024 but it may vary depending on the category of staff.
The defense minister said Hungary will continue to work towards fulfilling its objective to build a top-notch, technically advanced military force.
Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the first five Leopard 2A7s are expected to be delivered to Hungary in the coming days.
The defense minister said Europe’s security situation would change radically differently given the presence of battle-hardened forces to Hungary’s east and the constant pressure of illegal migration on its southern border.
The Hungarian military has ordered a total of 16 H225M aircraft. The H225M helicopters are designed and manufactured according to the needs of the Hungarian military.
The defense ministry said in a statement that Hungarian security and defense “are now the first priority”.
The troops serving in a KFOR mission were deployed to disperse the rioters in front of the town hall in Zvečan on Monday afternoon.
Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said both he and the government were expecting a protracted war in Ukraine.