Major General Zoltán Somogyi
15:53 July 18, 2023Major General Zoltán Somogyi was born on 27th February 1974 in Fehérgyarmat. He began his military service in August 1992 at the Military Command Collage in Szentendre. He graduated as an artillery officer with a BSc in Land Surveying Engineering in 1996. He served 8 years in a various artillery officer assignments including 4 years as Battery Commander within the HDF 5th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 5th Self Propelled Artillery Battalion in Debrecen. During his artillery officer carrier, he successfully completed the Battery Commander Course of the German Bundeswehr and gathered experiences also in the field of rocket artillery. In 2003 he was deployed to the position of the 2nd Company Commander of the Hungarian Guard and Security Battalion, KFOR Kosovo and in 2004 he assumed command of the Hungarian Guard and Security Contingent, KFOR Skopje.
In 2007, he was appointed to the position of Hungarian Joint Force Command J3 Staff Officer in Székesfehérvár and he was promoted to Major. In 2009, he was assigned as a Liaison Officer to the German Operations Command in Potsdam and to the German MOD Planning Staff in Berlin focused on Hungarian contribution to ISAF operation. In 2010, he graduated from the National Defense University with MSc degree in Military Leadership. In 2012 he graduated the 7th German National Joint Admiral and General Staff Course at the Bundeswehr Command & Staff Collage in Hamburg. Following that, he was appointed to the position of the Military Assistant to the Chief of Land Forces of the Hungarian Joint Force Command and he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. From 2013 to 2016, he served as the Head of Combat Support Branch G3 HDF JFC.
During this assignment in 2013-2014 he was deployed for seven months to Afghanistan as a senior advisor and head of a brigade level advisory team. In 2016, he was assigned to the position of Chief G37 HDF Joint Force Command. In 2017, his next appointment was at HDF JFC where he held the post of Chief J3/ACOS Operations and was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
From August 2018 he started and led the planning project of Headquarters Multinational Division Centre. He was appointed to Chief of Staff of the Headquarters Multinational Division Centre on 01 June 2020 and he was promoted to his current rank on the 20th of August 2020.
12 May 2022 – 17 May 2023 he served as Chief of Staff of EUFOR Force HQ in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Since 15 July 2023 he has been assuming the position Director of the General Staff Hungarian Defence Forces.
He is married to his wife Beatrix and lives in Várpalota.
International Recognition to Brigadier General Tibor Szabó
13:22 April 10, 2026
Brigadier General Tibor Szabó, Chief of Staff of the European Union’s peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was awarded the Medal for International Cooperation Grade II, by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Sajović, in recognition of his close cooperation with the Slovenian contingent in EUFOR Operation Althea and of his contribution to the development and reputation of the Slovenian Ministry of Defence and the Slovenian Armed Forces.
First-hand NATO experience – future military leaders in Naples
11:21 April 10, 2026
As the first leg of their study trip to Southern Europe, the students participating in the Military General Staff Course of Ludovika University of Public Service Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training visited NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) in Italy.
KFOR: Recognition of exemplary Austrian–Hungarian cooperation
13:07 April 9, 2026
On 30 March in Pristina, Captain Anna Katschnig, Company Commander, KFOR Multinational Military Police (MNMP) received the “Honors for the Partnership” medal from Colonel Gábor Hangya, Senior National Representative of the Hungarian KFOR Contingent KFOR Tactical. The Austrian commander displayed outstanding cooperation and professionalism during the visit of the President of Hungary.
Study trip to Sarajevo
12:26 April 9, 2026
In the first week of April, students of the Military General Staff Course visited Bosnia and Herzegovina to further extend their professional knowledge. The soldiers arriving in Sarajevo from the Ludovika University of Public Service Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training received first-hand information about the task system of the two international military organizations operating in the Western Balkan country, namely EUFOR and the NATO Headquarters Sarajevo (NHQSa) and about the tasks of the Hungarian EUFOR contingent.
National Defence Medal to Major General László Sticz PhD
12:21 April 9, 2026
Major General László Sticz PhD, serving as the Hungarian national military representative at the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), was awarded the gold grade of the French National Defence Medal (Médaille de la Défense Nationale) to recognize his performance as former EUFOR Commander and his outstanding cooperation with the French Armed Forces.
Cohesion is the key to mission success
11:07 April 9, 2026
“Led by the contingent commander, during your tour of duty abroad, you have formed a cohesive unit with members attentive to and assuming responsibility for each other, where all soldiers knew that they can count on their comrades if in need” – said Colonel Tibor Gaspor, Deputy Commander, HDF 1st Armored Brigade at the homecoming ceremony of the 33rd rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent (KFOR-33 HUNCON, KFOR Tactical Reserve Battalion – KTRBN) on 2 April.
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.