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 Chief of Defence gives presentation at International Armoured Vehicles Conference in London
11:48 January 25, 2023
On 24 January, Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi PhD, Chief of the General Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces gave a presentation at the International Armoured Vehicles (IAVs) Conference, which was held with the participation of more than 60 speakers and more than 40 countries in London. Also in attendance at the event was Brigadier General János Somogyi, Deputy Director of Staff (DOS) Operations of the HDF General Staff.
National defence must be strengthened in all its segments
18:32 January 23, 2023
One important element in Hungary’s armed forces development program is the creation of the combat-worthy, strong armed forces, which conform with NATO’s concept for deterrence and are able to guarantee peace and the citizens’ security, said Brigadier General Dr. Imre Porkoláb, MoD Ministerial Commissioner for Defence Innovation at an international conference held with the title “Similarities, Differences and Possibilities of Cooperation in the Fields of Hungarian and Polish Armed Forces Development” at the Wacław Felczak Institute in Warsaw on 16 January.
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky: Peace is of the utmost importance for Hungary and Serbia
18:23 January 23, 2023
Peace is of the utmost importance for Hungary and Serbia alike, and since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Hungary has been consistently drawn attention to truce and the attainment of peace, while Serbia agrees on the point that war can only bring bad luck for the smaller or medium-sized states of the region, and therefore its soonest possible end is in the interest of both countries, emphasized Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Belgrade on Friday, January 20.
The rejuvenation of HDF organizations is in progress
18:08 January 23, 2023
The process of rejuvenation has started in the Hungarian Defence Forces in the interest of Hungary’s security, so that we can pave the way for those young commanders who speak languages, have gained experiences on NATO courses and foreign missions, have outstanding physical stamina and will be the most capable ones to use modern military equipment and tactics. The current war situation warns us that it takes strength to achieve peace, and strength in turn requires modern, combat-worthy armed forces.
Hungarian Chief of Defence attends NATO session
14:07 January 20, 2023
On 18–19 January, leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the representatives of Finland and Sweden held a two-day meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The event was attended by Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi PhD, Chief of the HDF General Staff, who also met the Hungarian soldiers serving in Belgium and gave them recognitions.
New Commander assumes command of EUFOR Operation Althea
13:51 January 20, 2023
On 18 January 2023, Major General Helmut Habermayer assumed command of EUFOR Operation Althea. At the Change of Command ceremony, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence was represented by Gábor Gion, MoD State Secretary for Strategic Analysis and Human Resources and Lieutenant General Zsolt Sándor, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
HDF organizations to be rejuvenated
13:47 January 20, 2023
“In an age of dangers, the Government of Hungary considers the security of the Hungarian people as its top priority. In parallel with the procurement of modern military technology, the organizational transformation of the armed forces is also under way. In this work, we have now reached the threshold of a new era. The personnel of the Hungarian Defence Forces must be renewed as well”, said Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at his annual assessment conference held in the Budapest Whale in the morning of Tuesday, 17 January.
The Skylark procurement project has come to an end
14:42 January 11, 2023
Pro Patria Electronics Ltd., a Hungarian military electronics service provider, held a project completion ceremony of the Skylark-1 LEX and Skylark-3 unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems’ delivery on Tuesday, December 6th, at the Stefánia Palace - Honvéd Cultural Centre in Budapest. At the event, Major General Ferenc Kajári, Group Chief of the Military National Security Service Reconnaissance Group Headquarters, praised the military force development project carried out in cooperation between the Budapest-based company and the Israeli defence company Elbit.
NATO looks back
09:38 January 9, 2023
Like several other organizations, the NATO Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) looks back on last year’s events on its social media page through photos presented by month.
Fruitful Canadian–Hungarian cooperation
20:36 December 14, 2022
The Canadian CAE, a high-tech firm at the leading edge of digital immersion, celebrated the 75th anniversary of its foundation in Normafa Event House, Budapest on Monday, 12 December. Having a Hungarian subsidiary company since 2009, this high-tech firm has been working to contribute to the successes of the Hungarian Defence Forces at several points beyond development: through its NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program to the training of fighter pilots, through the production of simulators for the training of Airbus A319 pilots, and through the simulator training provided for H145M helicopter pilots.