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 Air Defense Gunner Advanced Officer Course (Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, USA).
2004 - 2005 US Air Force Command and Staff College (Montgomery, Alabama, USA)
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
A network of relations taking shape
15:30 November 11, 2025
The members of the Budapest Military Attaché Corps recently paid a visit to the HDF 2nd ISR Regiment and the Kratochvil Károly Honvéd Secondary School in Debrecen. They showed especially great interest in the army scouts’ new military equipment and the system of Hungarian defence education.
Stronger Lebanese-Hungarian Partnership
14:26 November 11, 2025
Lebanon’s security has crucial significance from the perspective of the security of the Middle East as a whole. The security of the Middle East is essential to the Hungarians, too, because through illegal migration and terrorism, such threats are posed to both Hungary and Europe that must be dealt with by all means, emphasized Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky after the first day of his visit to Lebanon in a video uploaded to his social media page.
Big Breakthrough
12:44 November 11, 2025
The International Live Fire Tactical Exercise Breakthrough 2025 has started. The training event is taking place in the Central Shooting Range and Training Area, and will end on 23 November. The objective is to allow tankers and artillerymen of the HDF 1st Armored Brigade to exercise operational planning while being augmented with foreign subunits in a combined-arms environment under real-world circumstances.
They are Able and Prepared
12:07 November 11, 2025
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and MoD Parliamentary State Secretary Deputy Defence Minister Tamás Vargha recently paid a visit to Hungarian servicemembers serving in the Baltics. During their visit to the Hungarian Defence Forces Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Detachment of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) Mission, the minister acknowledged with satisfaction that the Hungarian airmen have demonstrated their ability, professional preparedness and dedication already on the fourth occasion, which earns good reputation for Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces within NATO.
“Everybody can think independently, but we must be able to work in harmony”
16:18 November 10, 2025
Interoperability, honesty, risk-taking – this was how Deputy Chief of Defence (Territorial Defence) Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza summed up the most important keywords of the NATO Industry Forum 2025 that took place last week. The general emphasized that speeding up acquisitions is currently one of the most important goals of the Alliance.
“We also discussed the procurement of HIMARS rockets in Washington”
13:12 November 10, 2025
Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also discussed the purchase of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and rockets at the Pentagon, as he himself announced on Saturday, 8 November in an interview to public media, adding that the purchase may be considered to be made over a three-to-five-year period, following authorization by the U.S. Congress.
A new chapter begins in U.S.–Hungary defence cooperation
13:09 November 10, 2025
The strengthening Hungarian–American political relations provide a good framework for the development of defence and military cooperation between the two countries and opens the door to further investments in the field of defence industry – stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Washington, where he had discussions with U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy and Cooperation Elbridge A. Colby on Friday, 7 November.
KC-390: comprehensive inspection in Brazil
11:16 November 10, 2025
There are many interesting details about the first medium-size military transport aircraft developed in full compliance with 21st century requirements, the KC-390 produced by Brazilian company Embraer. Hungary has purchased two planes, of which the second is scheduled to be delivered to the Kecskemét-based HDF 101st Aviation Wing in late November.
From Székesfehérvár to SHAPE – Hungarian subunit at NATO’s digital cutting edge
16:00 November 7, 2025
The Communications and Information Systems (CIS) of the future were introduced on the Distinguished Visitors (DV) Day of Exercise Steadfast Cobalt 2025 at the at the NATO SHAPE HQ in Belgium, where the soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ Deployable CIS Module (DCM-E) also had an outstanding role. Their excellent performance at the exercise may serve as an example of how a small but dedicated team can contribute to shaping the digital future of the Alliance.
Serbian and Hungarian Metrology Professionals Share Lessons Learned
14:05 November 7, 2025
The 1st Serbian-Hungarian Metrology Meeting was recently held in Hungary. At the two-day event, Serbian professionals were received at the Kecskemét-based base command of the HDF Material Supply Store Base (MSSB) and the Táborfalva base of the HDF MSSB Test Firing and Examination Department.