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
New Momentum in Hungarian-German Military Cooperation
12:43 September 11, 2026
General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of HDF Defence Staff, discussed the further strengthening of Hungarian–German military cooperation, experiences in force development, and the expansion of training and personnel relations with his German counterpart, General Carsten Breuer on 7 September in Budapest. The following day, the German military commander visited the HDF 25th Armored Brigade to familiarize himself with the unit’s capabilities, and to inspect the German military equipment introduced as part of force development and the associated training opportunities.
KC-390 Millennium – First Time at a Foreign Airshow
13:35 September 9, 2026
The KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft of the Hungarian Defence Forces has reached another important milestone: it debuted abroad for the first time at an international airshow abroad.
Strong National Force, Secure Alliance
13:30 September 9, 2026
“The primary duty of the Hungarian Defence Forces is to guarantee the security of Hungary and the Hungarian people”, said General Zsolt Sándor in his presentation to military and defence attachés accredited to Hungary. The Chief of HDF Defence Staff briefed foreign attachés at the Ministry of Defence on September 7 on the current status of the HDF’s transformation, the priorities for force development, and the modernisation of training.
Quick Response in Bosnia and Herzegovina
18:16 September 8, 2026
Hungarian peacekeepers took part in spectacular tasks at EUFOR’s largest training event. During Exercise Quick Response 2026, conducted at numerous locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina between August 22 and September 3, the peacekeeping mission of the European Union practiced how to rapidly reinforce its in-theatre forces and respond in a coordinated manner to a rapidly changing security situation.
Japanese Delegation at Ministry of Defence
12:46 September 8, 2026
Defence Minister Dr Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi received a Japanese delegation at the Ministry of Defence on 7 September.
EUFOR Althea: Reinforced Hungarian Participation
13:57 September 7, 2026
The Hungarian government reinforces the country’s participation in the European Union’s EUFOR Althea peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, government spokesperson Anita Köböl announced in Budapest. It was stated at the government press conference that the authorised strength of the reserve forces kept on standby in Hungary will rise from 150 to a maximum of 300 personnel, and that they may be deployed to the area of operations for up to 380 days instead of the previous 90 days, if necessary.
Joint Challenges, Joint Solutions
13:52 September 7, 2026
Central European armed forces face similar challenges when it comes to reaching out to young people, recruitment and personnel retention, which is why it is important to learn about each other’s best practices and examine which of these can be applied in the Hungarian context as well – emphasized General Zsolt Sándor, Chief of the HDF Defence Staff, following the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) Chiefs of Defence meeting held in Slovenia.
There is only one language under the water
12:35 September 7, 2026
Deep-water diving equipment, orientation tasks, mental math, day and night dives await Hungarian, Czech and Slovak military divers during the one-week Exercise Open Water organized at the Nyéki Lakes in Hungary. In the middle of the week, the participants put their professional knowledge to the test by making decompression dives in Debreczeni Lake.
A Torrent of Soldiers’ Medals in Poland
13:00 September 2, 2026
The military athletes of the HDF Sports Company return home from the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań with a splendid haul of medals. They won three gold and five silver medals in the individual events, one bronze medal in the pairs, and, as members of the fours, one gold and one silver.
American Master’s Completed
12:56 September 2, 2026
Major Domonkos Balázs Pászthory, a soldier from the 1st Grenadier Battalion of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, has completed his military postgraduate studies at Texas A&M University and has recently returned home from his posting lasting nearly two years.