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

We have rearmed the air force in recent years
10:11 September 9, 2024
As soon as Hungary’s economic capacity made it possible, the Hungarian government launched a major national defence and military development program, so we have rearmed the air force, too, in recent years – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the opening of the 29th Börgönd Airshow on Sunday, where MoD Parliamentary State Secretary Deputy Minister Tamás Vargha was also present.

One of the most modern military transport aircraft of our age has arrived in Kecskemét
14:52 September 6, 2024
We can welcome a true marvel aircraft – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the ceremonial reception of the first KC-390 Millennium airlifter of the Hungarian Defence Forces, in the presence of representatives of the Brazilian manufacturing company Embraer, in Kecskemét on 5 September.

HDF NCO Academy Hosts NATO Training Course
12:52 September 6, 2024
The Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX) Collection and Processing in Support to Attack the Networks Course of the NATO C-IED Centre of Excellence is organized on the fourth occasion at the Hungarian Defence Forces NCO Academy.

Honvéd Cadet Program at an International Forum
13:23 September 5, 2024
“In Hungary, as in each sovereign country, defending the country is first of all a national cause”, said Dr. János Czermann, MoD Deputy State Secretary for Strategy and HR Policy at the forum of military secondary schools of the EU in Nyíregyháza. That is why connecting the fields of defence and education is indispensable, also for the sake of Europe’s future, he said in his welcoming speech, which also covered the success of Hungarian military education.

Mission for a Lifetime
12:00 September 5, 2024
The “I love it, I defend it!” campaign is a success. Many thousands of people have shown interest so far, thousands have applied, and from among them, 1,000 determined Hungarians committed to their homeland have already signed on in the Hungarian Defence Forces to strengthen Hungary’s defence as territorial defence reservists – this was announced by Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. As recruits, several Olympians, national champion athletes, ex-footballer Péter Rajczi and Norbert Schobert Jr. have also joined the reserve force due to the campaign.

Head of NATO ACT Strategic Foresight Branch Appointed New VIKI CEO
18:42 September 4, 2024
As of 1 September, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky appointed Dr. Gergely Németh the new CEO of the Defence Innovation Research Institute (VIKI).

Moonstar 2024
15:42 September 4, 2024
The Hungarian Defence Forces are conducting a multinational tactical exercise codenamed Moonstar 2024 on the Central Training Area and Range in the first half of September. The primary objectives of the exercise involving Hungarian, Polish and Slovak territorial defence reserve forces are to build subunit cohesion in the field, certify the reservists’ readiness and assess the skills they have acquired so far.

EUFOR Soldiers Help at an Accident
15:37 September 4, 2024
Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky praised on his social media page those Hungarian soldiers serving in the HDF EUFOR Contingent who recently helped at an accident in the area of operations.

Trust and Friendship
15:34 September 4, 2024
Central celebrations were recently held in Besztercebánya (Banska Bystrica) to mark the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. Chief of Defence General Dr. Gábor Böröndi also participated in the celebrations. Hungary was represented by a parade platoon of the HDF “vitéz Szurmay Sándor” Budapest Garrison Brigade’s 32nd Life Guard Regiment at the military parade held as a part of the program, and a Gripen of the HDF 101st Aviation Wing made the event more colourful with a flypast.

“Ready and able to do everything for the country”
15:15 September 4, 2024
“We must always solve the insoluble situations, and, at the same time, we must always be ready to defend the homeland” – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Matthias Church, Budapest, at a Thanksgiving Holy Mass celebrated to mark the 338th anniversary of the liberation of Buda.