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
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky: Defence industry is essential
13:22 December 2, 2022
“Defence industry is essential because it creates jobs, helps the economy further grow”, and provides security as well, said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky during the fourth episode of a podcast entitled “The Bold Truth About Hungary” – hosted by State Secretary for International Communication and Relations of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office Zoltán Kovács –, which appeared on Wednesday, 30 November.
Hungarian fighter pilots rescued from Baltic Sea
15:08 November 29, 2022
For the first time, the nominated personnel of the HDF 59th Dezső Szentgyörgyi Air Base were involved in an open-sea search and rescue exercise, conducted with the participation of Hungarian airmen serving in the lead nation role of the Baltic Air Policing mission and the members of the Polish detachment, which is to rotate them out on 1 December. The rescue was part of a multinational search and rescue (SAR) exercise coordinated and organized by the Lithuanian air force and navy, in which two fighter pilots from each of the two nations and their own observer teams played the main role.
Consultation between Hungarian and Portuguese defence policy directors
15:04 November 29, 2022
On 25 November, Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy László Hajnik received Portuguese National Defence Policy Director Paulo Lourenço on a working visit in Budapest.
Peacekeepers from twelve nations receive certifications
14:58 November 29, 2022
Organized by the HDF Peace Support Training Centre, the 6th Peace Support Operations Cooperation Course (PSOCC) has recently ended. The course participants received their certificates on 25 November.
Successful validation in Poland
14:52 November 29, 2022
The standby service of the European Union was preceded by several training events, following which the soldiers had to prove their combat readiness on Exercise Common Challenge 2022.
PSTC delegation in Brussels
17:34 November 24, 2022
A delegation from the Hungarian Defence Forces Peace Support Training Centre (HDF PSTC) attended the annual Commandants’ Conference (CC) of the NATO Partnership Training and Education Centres (PTEC) and the subsequent trade exhibition (PTEC Marketplace) in Brussels on 14–16 November.
Baltic Air Policing – at degrees below zero as well
17:29 November 24, 2022
The Hungarian BAP detachment stationed in Lithuania didn’t have to wait long for the first snow. In the third week of November, Šiauliai and its environs – including the airbase – got covered with a centimeters-thick snow blanket. The snowing was followed by temperatures below zero for several days, even dropping to minus 13 degrees Celsius at night on the coldest ones.
Puma 2022 – with Hungarian participation
16:19 November 24, 2022
The military exercise Puma 2022 was organized with the participation of the Visegrád Four countries in the training areas of Deba and Lipa, Poland, in early November.
Hungarian Gripens above Estonia as well
16:16 November 24, 2022
Necessitated by the war in Ukraine, safeguarding the airspace of the three NATO ally Baltic countries is more important than ever, and this year’s is already the third occasion when the air force of the Hungarian Defence Forces participates in the Baltic Air Policing mission, this time as a lead nation – this was said at a discussion between Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky and Raul Toomas, Estonia’s ambassador in Budapest on Monday, 21 November.
Commander of Hungarian Defence Forces visits Pakistani defence exhibition
13:46 November 21, 2022
This year the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) was organized at Karachi Export Centre, Pakistan between 15 and 18 November. Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi PhD, Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces paid a visit to the exhibition together with Major General Dr. László Sticz, Commander, HDF Force Modernization and Transformation Command and Colonel István Ocskay, Director, Institute for Modernization, HDF Force Modernization and Transformation Command.