Foundations of Hungarian Defence Policy

Absztrakt

This article aims to outline the foundations of contemporary Hungarian defence policy thinking, highlighting the factors which have shaped it during the last years. Hungary lies in a unique geostrategic position, at the crossroads of ‘eastern’ and ‘southern’ challenges. The study therefore begins by presenting an overview of Hungary’s place in the global security environment, especially in light of the instability currently characterising certain regions on Europe’s periphery. It then goes on to discuss the institutional framework of Hungarian security and defence policy, primarily concentrating on NATO and the EU CSDP. The newly adopted National Security Strategy, together with the National Military Strategy (currently under review) serve as the starting point for the analysis.
Our study also pays particular attention to Hungary’s large-scale military modernisation programme, the Zrínyi Programme. Based on this, the authors identify three major challenges shaping the medium-term outlook for Hungarian defence policy. These are

(i) the pressures of illegal mass migration;

(ii) the challenges of transnational terrorism; along with

(iii) the activity and potential for conflict among regional and global powers.

In addition, the article briefly highlights the future challenges that Hungary must reckon with, including the security-related implications of global climate change, energy dependency, cyber defence, together with the proliferation of nuclear and conventional weapons.