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

Sporting challenge in KFOR
14:34 December 27, 2025
Soldiers of the KFOR KTRBN took part in the Murphy Challenge physical fitness competition held at Camp Novo Selo. The challenge, established in memory of U.S. special operations soldier Michael P. Murphy, is designed to test both physical endurance and mental resilience. Participants measured their level of preparedness by completing tasks consisting of running, push-ups, squats, and pull-ups.

Transatlantic Ferry Flight Home
18:00 December 21, 2025
Prior to its return home in November, Hungary’s second—and final—KC-390 medium military transport aircraft underwent a comprehensive inspection and acceptance evaluation. The two-week test and verification programme was conducted by a designated team of experts from the Hungarian Defence Forces at Gavião Peixoto, within the Embraer aircraft manufacturing complex in Brazil. Our short film provides a detailed insight at how the aircraft handover and acceptance process was carried out.

Thinking together, planning together
14:16 December 19, 2025
Colonel General Gábor Böröndi, Chief of Defence Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces, met with his North Macedonian counterpart, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, in Budapest. This consultation is part of the military cooperation that has been consistently and intensively developed in recent years, which serves to strengthen NATO interoperability, to develop joint training, and to ensure stability in the Balkans region.

The Hungarian Defence Forces Have Undergone Significant Renewal over the Past Decade
10:55 December 17, 2025
The Hungarian Defence Forces have undergone significant renewal over the past decade. Modern equipment is now available, new capabilities have been developed and the HDF’s international cooperation system has strengthened, emphasized Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Kecskemét on 15 December.

Polish and Hungarian Comrades Stretch Their Arms Out as One
14:14 December 16, 2025
Hungary hosted the national blood donation campaign “Polish-Hungarian, One Blood” for the third time, organized in memory of Poland’s assistance during the 1956 revolution and war of independence, which the Hungarian Armed Forces also joined. At the Székesfehérvár stage of the program, Croatian, Lithuanian and American comrades also volunteered alongside Hungarian and Polish soldiers.

Hungarian Combat Vehicle Fleet Becomes Complete
15:05 December 15, 2025
With the arrival of the 44th Leopard main battle tank, the Hungarian combat vehicle fleet has become complete, said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the barracks of the HDF 1st Armoured Brigade in Tata on 12 December.

Three Hundred New Job Opportunities
13:41 December 15, 2025
Three hundred new job opportunities, requiring a high level of education, are being created by the German Rheinmetall investment in Szeged. This also contributes to Hungary becoming one of the most important centres for future technologies in Europe, declared Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Szeged on 12 December. The Ministry of Defence was represented at the event by MoD State Secretary for Force Development and Defence Policy Dr. Zsolt Kutnyánszky.

Lynxes over Hill and Dale
12:23 December 15, 2025
Making use of the opportunities offered by the terrain and the weather, the 1st Grenade Battalion of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade had a day and night driving training in hilly conditions in the Bakony.

Head of State Tamás Sulyok Visits Kosovo
14:33 December 9, 2025
Head of State Tamás Sulyok, MoD Parliamentary State Secretary and Deputy Defence Minister Tamás Vargha and Chief of Defence General Dr. Gábor Böröndi visited the Hungarian soldiers serving in Kosovo on Monday, 8 December.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky: Hungarian–Turkish cooperation has never been this strong
11:20 December 9, 2025
“Ongoing since 2023, today the strategic partnership between Hungary and Türkiye means not only diplomatic cooperation but also a tangible resource serving national interests” – stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky after a session of the Türkiye–Hungary High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Istanbul. The meeting was at once an occasion for holding bilateral discussions with Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler and Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.