May 3 2024

Video: NATO's multinational battlegroup in Hungary is hard at work

NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Hungary is hard at work in the east of the Alliance, keeping NATO ready to deter aggression and, if necessary, defend the Allied territory. 

The battlegroup is one of four new units established in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Comprised of Croatian, Italian and Turkish troops, with the Hungarian Defence Forces in the lead, the battlegroup conducts military exercises, which boost the level of familiarisation amongst these Allied troops and the effectiveness of working together. NATO’s battlegroups were first established in 2016 in response to the increased instability and insecurity along NATO’s periphery, following a decision made by Allies at the 2016 Warsaw Summit to reinforce the eastern part of the Alliance with battalion-sized multinational units. At the 2022 Madrid Summit, Allies committed to doubling the number of units from four to eight, with new battlegroups deploying to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Allies also committed to deploy troops to rapidly reinforce these battlegroups if need be, up to brigade level.

Video by NATO HQ