The chiefs of staff of the Visegrad Four held their second meeting of the year in Bratislava. Hungary was represented by Colonel General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of the Hungarian Defence Forces General Staff.
The participants reviewed the capabilities of the Polish, Czech, Slovak and Hungarian armed forces, preparations for the Visegrad EU battlegroup due to become operational in 2028, this year’s exercises and joint training planned for the next two years.
Key topics included force development, the regional security situation and lessons from current armed conflicts. The discussions also focused on the use of drones and measures to counter them.
Slovak Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Miroslav Lorinc said preparations for the battlegroup were on schedule. Hungary will contribute staff officers as well as engineering and medical capabilities. Joint preparation of the components is due to begin early next year.
The countries agreed to increase the intensity, rather than the number, of Visegrad joint exercises. They also said lessons from ongoing conflicts should be incorporated as quickly as possible into training and exercises, using scenarios that closely reflect real conditions.
The participants agreed to reduce chief-of-staff-level meetings from twice to once a year. A meeting of experts will take the place of the second session, focusing on sharing experience, effective practices and new technologies.
