“We Live in a Historic Situation...”

Interview with Chief of Defence General Dr. Gábor Böröndi

Absztrakt

Lieutenant General Dr. Gábor Böröndi1 (he has been a general since 20 August 2023) was appointed chief of the HDF General Staff2 as of 4 May 2023 by the head of state – on the proposal of Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky and the government. Since he holds his position as chief of defence, serious and discernible changes and developments have taken place in the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF). During this period burdened with wars, the guaranteeing of Hungary’s security carries new, unprecedented challenges. Therefore, the goal of armed forces development is to create modern, combat-ready, well-armed, complex and digitalised armed forces. In the interview, the author asked the chief of defence how he sees the past, present, and future of the Hungarian Defence Forces, what he thinks about the fundamentals of Hungary’s defence and the experiences and lessons learned from the Russo-Ukrainian War. (The interview was on 2 February 2024.)