Croatian-hungarian cooperation in military logistics: integration into multinational logistics networks

Strategic partnership for Europe's security: state and alliance defense

The military logistical cooperation between Croatia and Hungary represents a significant component of the European security architecture, which has intensified significantly in recent years. Against the background of changed security policy framework in Europe and increased focus on state and alliance defense within NATO, this cooperation develops.

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Basics of the Croatian-Hungarian defense partnership

The roots of the Croatian-Hungarian military cooperation go back to the time of the first joint NATO membership of both countries. Hungary joined the Atlantic Alliance in 1999, while Croatia followed in April 2009. The geographical closeness and the common border create ideal conditions for close defense policy cooperation.

The two Defense Minister Damir Krstauvić (Croatia) and István Simicsko (Hungary) already agreed to intensify bilateral military cooperation in Budapest in March 2018. This agreement included joint exercises and participation in international military maneuvers, especially in the areas of special units, air forces and land forces. In addition, three important agreements have been announced: for airspace monitoring, air rescue and exchanging radar data.

The strategic importance of this partnership was underlined by the assessment of both ministers that Croatia and Hungary are among the safest countries in Europe, which is essentially thanks to their armed forces and mutual cooperation. This assessment gained special relevance in view of the complex challenges in Southeast Europe, including the migration crisis and security policy instabilities.

Integration into multinational logistics networks

The Croatian-Hungarian cooperation in military logistics is not to be considered isolated, but blends into larger multinational structures. A central element is the Structured Partnership in Logistics (Spil), an originally German-Hungarian initiative that has now been expanded to the Czech Republic and is considered a model for multinational logistics cooperation in Europe.

Croatia currently takes part in the German-Hungarian logistics exercises as observers, in which troops from Germany and Hungary rehearse joint logistical operations. This observer role enables Croatian military to gain valuable experience and prepare for any active integration into the SPIL structures. From 2025, active integration of Croatian units into this structured partnership should be possible.

The Spil is based on modular, standardized systems that can be used for both military exercises and real missions. The successful demonstration of these skills in multinational exercises such as Steadfast Defender 24, Brave Warrior 24, Vigorous Warrior 24, Clean Care 24 and Grand South 24 shows the practical potential of multinational logistics cooperation.

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NATO Enhanced Vigilance Activities in Hungary

The NATO Enhanced Vigilance Activities (EVA) in Hungary are a concrete expression of Croatian-Hungarian military cooperation. Croatia has already sent several quotas to reinforce the NATO east flank. The fifth Croatian contingent (HRVCON) with 64 members, including eight women, was sent to Hungary in August 2024.

The structure of these quotas includes a national command, a national support element, staff staff, military police, a protective department, a tactical team for civil-military cooperation, a team for eliminating explosives and a medical team. The Croatian armed forces are part of the NATO combat group, which is run by Hungary and also includes Italian and Turkish units.

The Croatian quotas are distributed across three locations in Hungary, with the main part of the forces at Camp Croft stationed in Veszprém. This mission lasts seven months and contributes significantly to the development of the capabilities of the Croatian armed forces, increases interoperability with the armed forces of other Member States and directly strengthens NATO's deterrent and collective defense.

Headquarters Multinational Division Center (HQ MND-C)

Another important pillar of Croatian-hungarian military cooperation is the headquarters of the multinational division center (HQ MND-C) in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. Croatia is together with Hungary's founder of this headquarters, who later also included Slovakia. The HQ MND-C was founded in 2020, as there was no single NATO headquarters in Central and Eastern Europe until then, which could coordinate backfall operations, react to crises and devote itself to collective defense.

This headquarters are designed to lead a division -strong group of around 20,000 soldiers. After the brutal and illegal invasion of Russia in Ukraine in February 2022, the importance of the HQ MND-C was significantly increased. It quickly approaches its full use and will then perform the command and control functions via NATO units.

Central role of Central European Defense Cooperation (CEDC)

The Croatian-Hungarian cooperation is also embedded in Central European Defense Cooperation (CEDC), which was founded in 2010 and now comprises six Member States: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. Poland has observer status.

The CEDC represents a security and defense platform for the participants to discuss, develop and promote common interests. The main goal is to contribute to strengthening regional security within the EU and NATO by promoting specific regional interests of the participants. The cooperation focuses on the coordination of EU policies, coping with common regional challenges and threats, initiating projects between armed forces and capacity structure.

In 2024, Hungary took over the chair of the CEDC, which underlines the importance of the Hungarian leadership role in regional defense cooperation. The presidency rotates annually between the Member States and comprises meetings by the defense minister, defense policy directors and other operational meetings.

Modernization and technological transformation

An essential aspect of Croatian-Hungarian cooperation is the joint modernization of their armed forces and the transition from eastern to western military technology. Croatia has decided to switch its armed forces from Russian technologies to western standards, whereby Germany acts as an important partner.

In October 2024, the Croatian Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić and the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius agreed a significant ring exchange: Croatia delivers 30 fighter tanks M-84 and 30 Schützer M-80 Yugoslav production as well as ammunition and spare parts to Ukraine and in return financial support for the procurement of up to 50 modern leopard 2A8 fighter tanks.

This modernization is part of a more comprehensive process that also affects Hungary. The Hungarian government has decided to largely switch its armed forces to German military technology. Hungary wants to move into the majority of its military purchases from Germany and switch from eastern western technology. This parallel development creates further opportunities for closer Croatian-hungarian cooperation through common standards and interoperability.

Maritime dimension of Croatian logistics skills

As a Mediterranean rainer, Croatia brings an additional maritime component into regional security cooperation. The strategic location of the country on the Adriatic coast enables alternative supply routes and reduces the dependence on individual transport routes. The Croatian ports, especially Split and Rijeka, play an important role in NATO operations in the Mediterranean.

The port of Split is regularly used by NATO marine associations. In March 2023, Standing Nato Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) completed a port visit in Split after participating in the Dynamic Manta 2023 exercise. This exercise was a robust and complex submarine defense exercise carried out by NATO Allied Maritime Command and hosted by Italy.

Croatia has modern port infrastructures and maritime logistics skills that are essential for amphibian operations and the sea transport of heavy equipment. The country has already demonstrated its willingness to participate through commitment in various NATO exercises. The Croatian marine works closely with other NATO partners, especially in the Operation Sea Guardian, a maritime security surgery to maintain the maritime situation education, deterrent and combat terrorism as well as to strengthen the capacity structure.

Logistic exercises and capacity development

The practical implementation of Croatian-Hungarian logistics cooperation is shown in joint exercises and training activities. The German-Hungarian cooperation in military logistics, in which Croatia participates as an observer, has proven to be extremely effective and future-oriented. A central element are the regularly carried out bilateral exercises that show interoperability and operational readiness and at the same time strengthen.

The exercise Safety Transport 2024 (Satt24) was all about further deepening of this cooperation and the preparation for new security policy challenges. This exercise built up on the Swift Response exercise, a connecting exercise of the Grand South partial exercise from the Quadriga series. The air landing forces of the German division of fast forces and allies trained the quick laying and use on the southern eastern flank of the alliance area.

The German logistics battalion 472 from Kümmersbruck has been maintaining a partnership with Hungarian transport units, the Lahner György 2nd Sustainment Regiment for many years. For ten years, these associations have been organizing the Safety Transport exercise series and taking on important tasks at NATO level. This long -term partnership offers a proven model for the expansion by Croatian units.

Strategic importance for European security

The Croatian-Hungarian cooperation in military logistics is of strategic importance for European security architecture. Both countries are in a geographically important position between Western and Eastern Europe as well as between the Mediterranean and Central Europe. This situation makes it natural transit countries for military relocations and logistical operations.

The integration of Croatia into the Spil would significantly expand the total capacity of the logistics network. Croatia's maritime skills complement the continental logistics structures of Hungary and create a comprehensive multimodal network. The diversification of the geographical locations and skills would create alternative routes and supply routes, which can be activated in the event of a crisis or in the event of failures of individual components.

This increased resilience corresponds to the modern requirements for resilient defense logistics, as defined in the NATO strategy concept “New Force Model”. The experiences from the major NATO exercises have made the need for redundant logistics routes clear, and the Croatian-Hungarian cooperation contributes significantly to the creation of such redundancies.

Croatian-hungarian logistics cooperation: challenges in NATO integration

Despite the positive developments, the Croatian-Hungarian logistics cooperation also faces challenges. Croatia's complete integration into the SPIL structures requires further investments in infrastructure and equipment as well as the harmonization of standards and processes.

Croatia strives to reach the NATO destination of defense expenditure of two percent of gross domestic product by 2025. The current defense budget is around 1.3 billion euros, which corresponds to 1.8 percent of GDP. This planned increase in defense expenditure will provide additional funds for the modernization of logistics skills.

Another important aspect is the reintroduction of compulsory military service in Croatia, which is to be decided by the Croatian parliament until the end of 2024. This decision is driven by the competition to Serbia and the NATO-wide concentration on state and alliance defense. The compulsory military service will be limited to two months and should serve as a kind of basic training.

Technological innovation and dual-use approaches

The future of Croatian-Hungarian logistics cooperation is also the development of innovative dual-use logistics systems, which can be used for both civil and military purposes. A real dual-use logistics approach enables the strategic use of infrastructures, systems and capacities for both areas and creates synergies between civilian business interests and military defense requirements.

The Covid 19 pandemic has shown how important flexible logistics systems are for coping with crises. A dual-use logistics network would provide valuable capacities for both military and civilian emergencies. The experience from pandemic can flow into the development of robust and adaptable logistics systems.

The modular system architecture of the SPIL is already based on principles that enable flexible adaptation to different use scenarios. The integration of additional modules from Croatia and the private sector would significantly increase the flexibility and adaptability of the overall system.

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Regional stability and Western Balkan integration

The Croatian-Hungarian cooperation also has an important impact on the stability of the Western Balkans. Croatia acts as a bridge between the established NATO membership and the Western Balkans, which are still on the way to euro-atlantic integration. The close cooperation with Hungary strengthens this bridge function and can contribute to stabilizing the entire region.

The CEDC has also extended its cooperation to Western Balkans, and both Croatia and Hungary play important roles. The successful demonstration of multinational logistics cooperation can serve as a model for other countries in the region and promote their integration into European security structures.

The Croatian experiences with the transformation from a post-communist country to a fully integrated NATO and EU member are valuable for other countries in the region. Cooperation with Hungary, which has undergone a similar transformation process, creates proven practices and models that can also benefit other countries.

Economic dimensions of the cooperation

In addition to the military aspects, the Croatian-Hungarian logistics cooperation also has important economic dimensions. The development of common logistics skills can contribute to strengthening the defense industry of both countries and creating new opportunities for industrial cooperation.

Germany as an important partner of both countries plays a central role in modernizing their defense skills. The close economic and political cooperation between Germany and the two countries creates a solid basis for trilateral cooperation projects. Germany is already the most important trading partner and an important investor.

The joint procurement of military equipment, which is practiced in the case of the Leopard 2A8 tanks, can lead to cost savings and better interoperability. These experiences can be expanded to other areas of military logistics and contribute to the development of common standards and processes.

The Croatian-Hungarian cooperation in military logistics is therefore at the beginning of a promising development, which not only strengthens bilateral relationships, but also makes an important contribution to European security and stability. The combination of geographical advantages, common strategic interests and proven cooperation mechanisms creates a solid basis for further deepening of this important partnership.

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