Photo By Airman 1st Class Josh Kaeser | Members of the Ohio National Guard and Hungarian Defence Forces pose with an Ohio flag...... read more read more
BUDAPEST, Hungary — U.S. and Hungarian military forces gathered this May for Valiant Panther, a bilateral Hungarian and U.S. exercise at Kecskemét Air Base, Hungary, which strengthened the long-standing partnership between the Ohio National Guard and Hungarian Defence Forces. The exercise focused on platoon-level planning, live-fire maneuvers and interoperability to enhance NATO readiness amid ongoing regional security concerns.
Valiant Panther is the latest chapter in the Ohio-Hungary pairing through the State Partnership Program, a Department of Defense program that links U.S. states with friendly nations to increase regional security and strengthen international defense cooperation. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the Ohio-Hungary partnership, one of the earliest and most active relationships in the program.
Maj. Gen. David Johnson, Ohio assistant adjutant general for Air, said the relationship with Hungary is one of the most enduring in the SPP.
“The State Partnership Program is a 30-plus year program, and our relationship with Hungary began at its inception,” Johnson said. “It was developed after the fall of the Cold War as an opportunity for National Guard states to partner with countries in Eastern Europe. Now, it’s global, with partnerships in South America, the Pacific and Europe.”
The SPP is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State and the National Guard Bureau. It has successfully fostered defense ties for over three decades and now includes 88 partnerships with 100 countries worldwide, all with the shared goal of improving regional security and advancing U.S. strategic interests.
The partnership has an important and broader strategic value, Johnson said.
"This relationship gives us an incredible strategic presence, not only for regional stability but also to promote global stability,” Johnson said. “Interoperable forces give us a strategic advantage.” Hungarian Defense Forces Brig. Gen. László Drót, commander of Hungary’s Territorial Defense and Military Augmentation Command, described the cooperation as essential to strengthening Hungary’s readiness and motivation.
“This kind of cooperation is really important because we are able to contribute to international forces,” Drót said. “It improves our training system and builds motivation.”
Hungarian troops gain not only tactical readiness but cultural insight, Drót said.
“Even with some language barriers, we solve problems together,” Drót said. “The military meanings are almost the same everywhere, and we learn from the U.S. decision-making process.”
Col. Scott Christensen, defense cooperation chief at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, emphasized the partnership’s strategic value in the context of modern European security.
“The Ohio-Hungarian relationship is immensely important,” Christensen said. “Most of our multilateral engagements in Hungary are done through the State Partnership Program. The impact it has on building NATO interoperability and shared capability is critical, especially with the renewed threat from the east.”
Christensen said the value of such exercises stretches beyond the battlefield.
“It’s the relationships you build in peacetime that carry into combat,” Christensen said. “Hungary and Ohio have demonstrated this in past joint operations, such as in Afghanistan.”
Valiant Panther is a recurring, platoon-level training event aimed at enhancing tactical coordination between U.S. and Hungarian forces. This year's event focused on squad maneuvers, mission planning and live-fire scenarios. In future iterations, Hungarian forces are expected to participate in exercises hosted in Ohio, continuing a cycle of mutual exchange.
The roots of this collaboration run deep. Established in 1993, the Ohio-Hungary partnership was among the first launched under the Department of Defense’s international outreach initiative. It was instrumental to Hungary’s transition toward NATO membership, reflecting U.S. efforts to support post-Soviet European democracies.
Since then, the partnership has supported more than 500 combined events, including leadership courses, joint deployments and professional military exchanges. One notable moment came in 2008 when Hungarian troops attended the U.S. Army’s Basic Noncommissioned Officer and Army Instructor Training Courses in Columbus, Ohio.
The partnership has also extended to Afghanistan, where Ohio and Hungary collaborated on 10 rotations of Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams, commonly known as OMLTs, working side by side to train the Afghan National Army. These deployments exemplify how joint training leads to real-world mission success.
“The experiences we share in these exercises translate directly to future cooperation,” Johnson said. “Whether in Hungary, Ohio, or elsewhere, we can work together seamlessly.”
According to Christensen, the program is about far more than military alignment.
“Citizen-Soldiers from Ohio are helping defend shared democratic interests,” Christensen said. “These personal relationships reflect who we are as nations — strong individually, but stronger together.”
As Valiant Panther concludes, both countries reaffirm a vision of peace through strength, trust through familiarity, and readiness through unity.
“This is more than an exercise,” Drót said. “It is a symbol of what cooperation, respect and shared goals can achieve.”
The partnership will continue into the next year, with plans for Hungarian forces to participate in training exercises in Ohio, Johnson said. As both nations look ahead, the Ohio-Hungary SPP stands as a testament to how global security starts with local trust.
Beyond the military drills, the partnership symbolizes broader democratic values, said Christensen.
“It is important to emphasize to our European partners that the United States is still deeply engaged,” Christensen said. “We have a shared history, shared cultures and a mutual commitment to democratic systems.”
The partnership resonates on a personal level for many Ohioans.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Hungary, the state is home to the largest Hungarian American population in the country, with an estimated 164,000 to 187,000 residents of Hungarian descent. Cities like Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo have strong Hungarian communities, with Cleveland once dubbed “the second greatest Hungarian city outside Budapest.”
“There’s a cultural connection that adds richness to our military cooperation,” Johnson said. “It makes these missions feel like more than just strategy. It’s about people.”
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| Date Taken: | 05.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2025 09:48 |
| Story ID: | 542525 |
| Location: | KECSKEMET, HU |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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