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
HDF KFOR 34th Rotation at the FMC Evaluation
11:46 April 8, 2026
The soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) KFOR Contingent 34th rotation, who arrived in early March, have successfully completed their Full Mission Capability (FMC) evaluation. The results of the exercise confirm that the troops are ready to execute mission tasks and are prepared to handle unexpected situations quickly and effectively.
Colonel Dr. Levente Várhelyi receives prestigious international recognition
12:15 April 7, 2026
President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella recently awarded Colonel Dr. Levente Várhelyi PhD one of the highest state decorations of Italy, the knight’s title “Cavaliere” for his cooperation with Italian military medical institutions and the popularization of Italian trauma surgery procedures in Hungary. The colonel received the medal – the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic awarded for outstanding political, artistic, economic or social performance – from Italy’s ambassador to Hungary Giuseppe Scognamiglio. The recognition confirms Colonel Dr. Várhelyi’s decades-long professional performance and dedication on an international level.
Strong American-Hungarian Alliance
12:11 April 7, 2026
“Strong bonds between the United States and Hungary are especially important to us within the field of national defence. The development of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the significance of our NATO engagement and the mutual security policy cooperation are all fields where the United States is our indispensable partner”, wrote Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his social media page on 7 April, a few hours before Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Budapest.
We protect Hungary’s energy security under all circumstances
11:11 April 7, 2026
“The energy security of the Hungarian people is no toy! The Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to fully carry out their tasks laid out in the Fundamental Law of Hungary. The reinforcement of guard and security personnel at national critical energy infrastructure started weeks ago. The military has complemented it by reinforcing the protection of the Hungarian section of the pipeline system, based on information received from Serbia” – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in a video message uploaded to his social media page on 6 April.
Personnel Recovery in Tempest
13:02 April 2, 2026
Three weeks spent in an uninhabited forested area, at most a couple hours of sleep on end, food deprivation for up to several days, shelter-building from one own’s equipment, water purification, practical shooting, close quarters combat – this is how Charlie, the top-level course in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training can be summed up in a few words. During the course, Hungarian soldiers practiced air extraction in Csobánka on 30 March.
Tuned to Exercise
12:17 April 2, 2026
Preparation for Exercise Moonstar 2026 is still going on at the Hajdúhadház-based Vay Ádám Training and Exercise Area and Shooting Range. Reservists of the 5th Territorial Defence Battalion of the HDF 2nd Territorial Defence Regiment participated in a three-day training program to improve their marksmanship skills.
They have returned home from Bosnia and Herzegovina
12:09 April 2, 2026
“The performance you gave during your tour of duty abroad well exemplifies Hungarian military expertise and camaraderie” – this was how Brigadier General Zsolt Molnár praised the homecoming personnel of the 29th rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent. At their homecoming ceremony held in Szentes, the Depuy Commander (Land) of the HDF Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) handed over recognitions to soldiers returning home from their service in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Preparing for collective defence on Exercise Loyal Leda 2026
12:27 March 31, 2026
A significant number of Hungarian soldiers participated in NATO’s multinational Exercise Loyal Leda 2026, which served the operational training of the corps headquarters of the Alliance. Held between 3–12 March in the areas of nine allied member nations, the training event was controlled by the NATO Joint Force Training Centre located in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Target Destroyed
11:24 March 31, 2026
The crews of the 1st Grenadier Battalion’s 2nd company of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade have recently been forged on combat-like live fire exercises (LFX). The company had to react to enemy targets with its own crews according to the tactical situation, both day and night.
The Middle East is Still on Fire; We Can Feel the Effects Here as Well
13:21 March 27, 2026
Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky wrote on his social media page that, with regard to the current security situation, he had a discussion over the phone with the defence ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, during which he was informed firsthand about the effects of the war in Iran, as well as its regional and global consequences.