In terms of its organizational structure, the NFIU is no
different to other NATO entities. In the same way, one can find
different "J" branches, only that on a smaller scale.
“Among
other things, our daily routine comprises meetings, briefings, drafting
daily and weekly reports and evaluations. We organize courses and
trainings for staff officers serving here, both at home and abroad. This
is an excellent opportunity for them to expand their knowledge in
specific areas. In our organization, officers rotate every two or three
years, so the preparation of new colleagues is also a continuous
process. Because many of them visit Hungary for the first time in
connection with their service, we help them integrate into the new
country.”
In addition to being constantly prepared for possible operational tasks,
we also take part in exercises at the level of the Hungarian Defence
Forces and NATO as often as the epidemic situation allows it,
COL
Topor gives an insight into the NFIU everyday life. "With the
evaluation exercise ahead, this daily routine is expected to change
significantly. It is a common knowledge that different levels of NATO
headquarters need to be evaluated every three years. Having reached Full
Operational Capability, we completed our very first evaluation exercise
with an excellent rate in 2017. We do not want to do any less than that
this year, either. Interestingly, the conducting of evaluation
exercises is the Host Nation responsibility - in this case the Hungarian
Defence Forces. NATO sends their observers, who carry out inspections
in cooperation with Hungarian experts, based on a system of criteria
developed and approved by the Alliance. This system is very complex and
rigid; it covers all disciplines, outlines requirements, forming the
complete evaluation system. Intensive preparations and training have
already been underway, in coordination with our existing IT systems, we
are planning a preliminary exercise for ourselves. The evaluation is
otherwise divided into two parts."
“The first part is
administrative, where inspectors examine all documents needed to carry
out our mission. In the practical part based on a fictitious scenario,
we have to prove that we are able to perform our operational tasks in
real conditions,” COL Topor describes the course of the evaluation.
It
is worthwhile to note that, according to the preliminary plans, the
NFIU HUN evaluation was meant to be tied to a NATO exercise involving
real team movements, but the COVID-19 epidemic overwrote also this plan.