NATO Military Committee Conference - Budapest, Hungary
Media Advisory
The Military Committee, NATO’s highest military authority, will meet in Chiefs of Defence session from 13-15 September, in Budapest. The meeting will be hosted by the Hungarian Chief of Defence, General Tibor Benkő PhD, and will be focused on current operations and NATO Transformation.
The Military Committee Conference is a unique gathering of Chiefs of Defence who come together once a year outside NATO Headquarters to discuss some of the challenging issues facing the Alliance.
The meeting will be chaired by General Knud Bartels, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee. Ongoing Allied operations in Afghanistan and in the Western Balkans will form part of the agenda of the 28 Chiefs of Defence. Discussions will also cover how NATO can transform itself in order to make the best use of available resources, including through the Connected Forces Initiative, Smart Defence projects and NATO exercises and training activities.
General Knud Bartels will be supported in each session by General Philip Breedlove (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe) and General Jean-Paul Paloméros (Supreme Allied Commander, Transformation). Also attending is General Joseph Dunford, Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), who will update participants on the latest progress in Afghanistan. Wider debates will be stimulated by the presence of retired General James Mattis, a former commander of United States Central Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Transformation.
The Military Committee meets three times a year at the level of Chiefs of Defence to discuss NATO operations and missions and provide the North Atlantic Council with consensus-based military advice on how the Alliance can best meet the global security challenges. Two of these meetings occur at NATO Headquarters in Brussels and one is hosted by a NATO member country, on a rotational basis.
Media opportunities
Friday, 13 September 2013
|
18.00 – 19.00 |
Welcome Ceremony with Full Military Honors (Budapest Heroes' Square, only photo and video opportunities) |
Saturday, 14 September 2013
|
08.00 – 08.15 |
MC Conference Opening Remarks by Dr. Csaba Hende, Hungarian Minister of Defence and General Knud Bartels, Chairman of the Military Committee (Hotel Hilton, only photo and video opportunities) |
|
18.30 – 19.00 |
Joint Press Conference with General Knud Bartels and General Tibor Benkő PhD, MC Conference conclusions (Hotel Hilton, Anjou Room) |
Note for the media:
Only accredited media will get access to the media opportunities.
Requests for accreditation will be processed only electronically. The accreditation form (attached) must be filled out till 14:00, 11 September 2013 and sent to andrea.eperjesi@hm.gov.hu . Forms submitted after this date will be refused.
Due to security regulations, the surrounding area of the conference site will be closed by the Police. The HUN MOD will provide bus transportation for media representatives to the conference hotel. The bus will depart from the MOD building (1055. Budapest, Balaton street 7-11) on 14 September at 06.40 for the Opening Remarks, and at 17.00 for the Press Conference. After both events, the buses will take all media representatives back to the MOD. If you wish to use the MOD parking lot, please provide your license plate number and make of your vehicle in the Accreditation Form.
For the Welcome Ceremony on 13 September, media representatives will arrive individually to Budapest Heroes' Square.
Please note that security checks will be conducted separately prior to every media event.
Point of contact for Host Nation, media coordinator for MCC 2013:
Mrs. Andrea Eperjesi, Senior Advisor on Public Affairs Training, HUN MOD
Tel: +3630 6909208 (mobile)
E-mail: andrea.eperjesi@hm.gov.hu
Point of contact for the Chairman of the Military Committee:
Capt(N), Dan B. Termansen, Public Affairs & Strategic Communications Advisor, International Military Staff
Tel: +32 475 75 75 61 (mobile)
E-mail: termansen.dan.b@hq.nato.int