Hungary: A most reluctant ally

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Notes

1. Péter Tálas and László Póti, ‘A magyar kül- és biztonságpolitika új hangsúlyairól’, in Ferenc Gazdag and J. László Kiss (eds), A magyar külpolitika a 20. században. Tanulmányok (Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó, 2004), pp.313–25.

2. Though theoretically during the 1990s the Ukrainian armed forces were strong enough for a successful attack on Hungary, the general state of the army, together with monetary restrictions, resulted in Ukraine having to start its military reform in 2000 with the active support of NATO(!) in order to secure the effective defence of Ukraine itself. See ibid., p.314.

3. Ibid.

4. In the past five years Hungary has experienced four disastrous floods, mostly because of uncontrolled deforestation in Ukraine and Romania. In January 2000 the river Tisza was effected by large-scale cyanide pollution coming from the breached dam of a goldmine in Verespatak (Northern Romania). As all the major rivers of Hungary have their headsprings abroad, Hungary's water security is especially sensitive to any kind of unexpected event.

5. Szonda-Ipsos, A lakosság biztonságérzete, survey conducted in April 1999.

6. Gallup, Az Amerika elleni terrortámadás hire végigsöpört az országon, survey conducted on 12 Sept. 2001, <www.gallup.hu/Gallup/release/terror010912.htm>.

7. Though the exact amount is uknown, according to the estimations of Hungarian ballistic missile expert György Szentesi, approximately 100–150 Soviet nuclear warheads were stored in Hungary. Author's interview with Col. György Szentesi (ret.), Hungarian ballistic missile expert, conducted in Budapest, 22 May 2005.

8. Soviet ballistic missile troops had already left Hungary in the mid-1980s.

9. The other signatories were Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, the Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark. Jose María Aznar, Jose-Manuel Durão Barroso, Silvio Berlusconi, Tony Blair, Vaclav Havel, Peter Medgyessy, Leszek Miller and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, United We Stand, ‘Letter of Eight’, <www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id = 110002994>.

10. Ibid.

11. The Hungarian Security Strategies of 1993 and 1998: 27/1993 (IV. 23.) OGY Határozat A Magyar Köztársaság honvédelmének alapelveirol; 94/1998 (XII. 29.) OGY Határozat a Magyar Köztársaság Biztonság- és Védelempolitikájának alapelveirol (typescripts).

12. Government of the Republic of Hungary, The National Security Strategy of the Republic of Hungary (Budapest: Government of the Republic of Hungary, 31 March 2004), <www.kulugyminiszterium.hu/archivum/Kulugyminiszterium/EN/Ministry/Departments/NATO/National_Security_Strategy.htm>

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. In chronological order: R-30 Luna/Frog-3 (disarmed in the late 1970s), R-65 Luna-M/Frog-7, 8 K11/Scud-A, 8 K14/Scud-B (disarmed in January 1991). By the time of the transition, the Hungarian People's Army had 98 K14/Scud-B launchers with 24 missiles and 18 R-65 Luna-M/Frog-7 launchers with 107 missiles altogether. Author's interview with Col. György Szentesi (ret.).

16. Ferenc Gazdag (ed.), Biztonságpolitika (Budapest: SVKH, 2001), p.305.

17. But the Ukraine was allowed exceptionally (as suggested by the US) in the 1998 treaty to retain its Scud ballistic missiles. See Daryl Kimball and Wade Boese, The Missile Technology Control Regime at a Glance, Factsheet, <www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/mtcr.asp>.

18. ‘Hungary Destroys Scud Missile Systems’, GlobalSecurity.org, 31 May 1995, <www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/hungary/33380635-33385890.htm>.

19. Ibid.

20. ‘A NATO fotitkára a magyar költségvetést bírálta’, Figyelö Net, 22 Oct. 2004, <www.mediafigyelo.hu/cikk.php?id = 4&cid = 88765>.

21. See <www.honvedelem.hu/hirek/hazai_hirek/a_radarberuhazasrol>, 10 Aug. 2005.

22. Budapest Sun, 7 June 2001.

23. For more information see György Szentesi,‘Kiterjesztett amerikai rakétavédelmi koncepció – a Bush-kormányzat által bejelentett NMD-bovítés háttere', NATO-EU hírlevél, No. 138, 31 May 2001, p.7.

24. Author's interview with Péter Tálas, Director of the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University Centre for Strategic and Defence Studies, Budapest, 27 April 2005.

25. Medgyessy Péter miniszterelnököt a Fehér Házban fogadta George W. Bush amerikai elnök, Press Release, 8 Nov 2002, <http://archiv.meh.hu/tevekenyseg/esemeny/2002/11/1108_3.htm>.

26. Ministry of Defence, Missile Defence: A Public Discussion Paper (London: Ministry of Defence, 2002), p.6.

27. István Simicskó, Letter to the Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Hungarian Parliament, <www.freedom.hu/freedom/modules.php?name = News&file = article&sid = 1520>.

28. Ministry of Defence, Ülést tartott a Honvédelmi Bizottság, Press Release, 15 June 2004, <www.honvedelem.hu/miniszterium/erdekvedelem/ulest_tartott_a_honvedelmi_bizottsag>.

29. Péter Dunai, ‘Rakétaelhárító rendszer: miért éppen Magyarország?’, Népszabadság, 30 Dec. 2004, pp.1, 4.

30. ‘Lesz-e rakétavédelmi rendszer Magyarországon?’, Hír Tv, 14 July 2004.

31. László Ruttai and Zoltán Krajnc,'Magyarország lehetoségei a NATO ballisztikus rakéták elleni védelemi rendszerének fejlesztésében', Új Honvédségi Szemle (2005/6), <www.honvedelem.hu/hirek/kiadvanyok/uj_honvedsesegi_szemle/magyarorszag_lehetosegei_a_na to_ballisztikus_raketak_elleni_vedelemi_rendszerenek_fejleszteseben/>.

32. Author's interview with Péter Tálas.

33. In the Air Defence Department of the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University (ZMNDU) there is quite intensive research going on about MD led by Lt. Col. Laszló Rutai. The ZMNDU Centre for Strategic and Defence Studies has also dedicated some issues of its newsletter to the topic. Moreover, one of the leading Hungarian experts, György Szentesi, published a book on strategic weapons systems in 2000; for the second, updated and extended version see Hatvan évvel Hiroshima után – körkép a hadászati támadófegyverekrol, Védelmi Tanulmányok, No. 61 (Budapest: Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University Centre for Strategic and Defence Studies, 2005).

34. Interviews with Péter Tálas and Péter Karsai, Member of the National Defence Committee of the Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, 18 April 2005.

35. Interview with György Szentesi.

36. Though even the exact type of weapons to be deployed is unknown. A few times the Patriot PAC-3 system was mentioned, but this was neither acknowledged, nor denied, by officials.

37. This attitude appeared strongly during the debates related to the US attack on Iraq. For more details see the Gallup poll, ‘Irak: a magyarok 61%’ (note 6).

38. Quoted in ‘Korrekt válasz rakétavédelmi ügyben’, Népszava, 20 Jan. 2005, p.3.