Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza
08:02 August 10, 2021Personal data:
Date of birth: 18 March 1962.
Place of birth: Budapest
Marital status: Married, with one child
Education:
1980 - 1986 Minsk Military Academy of Air Defense Missile Engineering, (Minsk, Belarus, USSR), certified radio engineer
1996 - 1997 ADA Officers Advanced Course, El Paso, Texas, USA
2004 - 2005 Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama, USA Master degree – strategic studies
Training Courses Attended:
1999 C-70 Chemical Defense Course, NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany
2000 I-32 Staff Officer Course, NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany
2001 C-29 MJLC Course, NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany
2002 NATO Logistics Course, Aachen, Germany
2007 Senior Leadership Course, George C. Marshall Center, Germany
2008 Defence Policy Course, Defence Academy, UK
2010 GFOAC Senior Leadership Course, NDC, Rome, Italy
Military career:
1986 - 1989 11/7th Air Defense Missile Division, Deputy Commander (Technical), Budapest
1989 - 1992 11th Danube Air Defense Missile Brigade, Maintenance Squadron Commander, Budapest
1992 - 1994 11th Danube Air Defense Missile Brigade, Chief of Maintenance, Budapest
1995 - 1996 11th Danube Air Defense Missile Brigade, Chief of Air Defense Missile Engineering, Budapest
1997 11th Danube Air Defense Missile Brigade, Chief of Military Engineering, Budapest
1998 HDF Meteorological Office, Chief Planning Officer, Budapest
1999 Defense Staff, Military Force Planning Directorate, Modernization Department, Research and Analysis Officer, Budapest
1999 - 2002 NATO Joint Forces Command, Group Headquarters J1/4, Logistics Planning Division, Senior Officer, Verona, Italy
2002 - 2003 MOD-DS, Force Planning Directorate, Modernization Division, Senior Officer in Charge, Budapest
2003 - 2004 MOD-DS, Secretary to the Chief of Integration, Budapest
2005 MOD-DS, Secretary to the Director of the Defense Staff, Budapest
2005 - 2006 MOD- DS, Military Planning General Directorate, NATO and Doctrinal Department, Head of Department, Budapest
2006 - 2010 MOD-DS, Operations and Training Division, Deputy Head of Division, Budapest
2010 - 2011 MOD-DS, Force Planning Directorate, Director, Budapest
2011 - 2013 HDF Office of the Military Representative, Military Representative, Brussels, Belgium
2013 - 2016 HDF Joint Forces Command, Acting Commander, Székesfehérvár
2015 - 2016 EUFOR, Chief of Staff, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2016 - 2018 HDF Joint Forces Command, Chief of Staff, Székesfehérvár
2018 HDF Joint Forces Command, Acting Commander, Székesfehérvár
2019 - Headquarters of the Hungarian Defense Forces, Chief of Staff
Participation in operations:
2000 - 2001 KFOR HQ Pristina, Kosovo
2015 - 2016 EUFOR, Chief of Staff, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Honours:
1994 Officer Service Medal 3rd Class (10 years)
2001 NATO Kosovo Medal 2002 Service Medal for Peacekeeping
2003 Service Medal, bronze grade
2003 Officer's Service Medal 2nd Class (20 years)
2004 NATO Service Medal 2005 Service Medal gold grade
2008 Service Medal decorated with Laurel Wreath
2010 Officer's Service Medal 1st Class (30 years )
2013 NATO Service Medal
2015 Hungarian Cross of the Order of Merit, military section
2016 EU CSDP Service Medal
2017 Migration Crisis Management Service Badge
2018 US Air Force Command Staff College, International Hall of Fame Member
2019 Gyula Sipos Award of the City of Székesfehérvár
Language skills:
English: STANAG 6001 4.4.4.4
Russian: advanced level, military interpreter
Hungarian-Romanian Military Cooperation Strengthens
13:35 August 14, 2026
On 13 August in Bucharest, General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of the HDF Defence Staff, discussed with his Romanian counterpart, General Gheorghiță Vlad, ways to further strengthen military cooperation, joint training exercises and operational involvement, as well as experiences in force development.
Riverbed Sill Construction Begins at Paks
13:31 August 14, 2026
On Thursday, the Minister of Defence visited the military units stationed in Dunaszentbenedek and inspected the preparatory work for the construction of the riverbed sill. Dr Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi was accompanied on the site visit by Lieutenant General Dr István Kun Szabó, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, and Colonel Attila Csurgó, Commander of the HDF 14th Engineer Regiment.
Wild Hunt 2026: US Parachuting Exercise in Pápa
13:20 August 12, 2026
A parachuting exercise of the 57th Rescue Squadron of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) begins at the HDF’s 47th Airbase, in cooperation with the USAFE’s 37th Airlift Squadron.
Experience Still Worth Its Weight in Gold
12:57 August 12, 2026
Captain Tamás Bánszki won the individual combined competition at the most prestigious event at the 2026 Skydive World Cup Series in Belluno, Italy. The Hungarian national paratrooper team, competing under the name CISM Hungary, finished in an impressive 7th place in an extremely strong field. This is an encouraging result a week ahead of the 48th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship, to be held in Losonc, Slovakia.
Hungarian Divers at Lake Ohrid
12:28 August 10, 2026
Successful international military cooperation is based on a common professional language, mutual trust and a well-structured training system. Hungarian–North Macedonian cooperation in the field of diving reached another milestone during the Deep Water 2026 joint training exercise, which took place at Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia.
Senior NATO Commander visits KFOR’s Camp Novo Selo
08:40 August 6, 2026
Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples visited Camp Novo Selo to assess the security situation in Kosovo and discuss the camp’s infrastructure and development.
For each other, not just beside each other
19:45 August 3, 2026
“Cohesion is the most effective weapon” – emphasized Major General Tibor Králik, the outgoing commander of Headquarters Multinational Division Centre (HQ MND-C) at the commanders’ handover-takeover ceremony held on July 31. Major General László Antal has become the first Hungarian General Officer to assume command of the Székesfehérvár-based NATO headquarters since its establishment.
Youth Mine Awareness Training in Mostar
11:29 July 31, 2026
With the assistance of Hungarian bomb disposal experts, the EUFOR Liaison and Observation Team (LOT) in Mostar organised a mine awareness presentation for participants at a multinational scout camp.
Talks on Collective Defence Preparation Tasks
11:20 July 31, 2026
Lieutenant General Kai Rohrschneider, Commander of NATO’s Allied Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC), and representatives of his staff paid an official visit to Hungary on 28 July. The event was a key stop in a series of country visits within the NATO command’s area of responsibility.
Reporting from the US: Successful Validation
11:36 July 29, 2026
The Hungarian contingent stationed at Camp Grayling, together with the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Ohio National Guard, successfully completed the US validation exercise ‘Combat Readiness Exercise 2026’.