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.
Minister of defence runs together with soldiers for peace
11:54 February 19, 2026
Besides strengthening camaraderie, the main and topical message of a memorial run organized on the anniversary of the foundation of the International Military Sports Council (CISM) is peace, because “the wind of war is blowing over Europe again” – stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the military sporting event in Budapest on 18 February.
The construction of another large barracks in Hungary is an important milestone
13:54 February 18, 2026
One year after the groundbreaking ceremony, another large barracks is being built in Hungary. This is an important milestone, “we’ve promised strength, we’ve built strength!” – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the topping-out ceremony of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) barracks in Thököly Street, Szolnok on 17 February.
French Soldiers at Hódmezővásárhely
11:30 February 18, 2026
Similarly to the previous years, two French students arrived at the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade this year from the École Militaire Interarmes, where serving NCOs and enlisted personnel are being trained to become officers.
Nearly a year on Mission over Kosovo
10:18 February 17, 2026
Aircrew and aircraft maintenance personnel serving in the Hungarian Defence Forces’ 86th Helicopter Wing have been deployed in Kosovo since March 2025. During this period, the brigade has already completed two rotations, and the third one is now approaching its conclusion.
Dialogue Among Cultures
14:00 February 13, 2026
The NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT, Norfolk, USA) organised the International Food Night already for the 11th time. The event again provided an outstanding opportunity this year for representatives from different countries to get richer with culinary experience and also build international relations.
To be housed in museum
12:29 February 13, 2026
On 8 February, the last piece of the Élthes-collection gifted to the Museum of Ethnography – a muzzle-loading rifle manufactured in Belgium in 1870 – arrived in Hungary aboard the Falcon 7X aircraft of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The special weapon was donated to institution by the widow of Fencing Master Dr. Csaba Élthes, who had graduated as a lawyer, served in World War II as a lieutenant of the Royal Hungarian Defence Forces, and managed the national fencing team of the USA successfully throughout four Olympics.
NATO Should Remain a Defence Alliance
11:41 February 13, 2026
NATO should remain, according to the original intentions, a defence alliance – emphasized Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in his video statement posted on Facebook following the discussion at the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence in Brussels on Thursday.
The goal is professional life-saving
11:04 February 13, 2026
This week, combat lifesaver (CLS) soldiers of the 33rd rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent (KFOR Tactical Reserve Battalion, KTRBN) tested their skills in the fields of marksmanship, stretcher-bearing, treating casualties and intravenous access. The competition imitated an active combat environment, and, of course, was preceded by lengthy academic training and practical instruction, during which the CLS soldiers of the subunits had opportunity to brush up and deepen the knowledge they had acquired earlier.
Czech-Hungarian Defence Policy Discussion in Budapest
12:43 February 12, 2026
A meeting of Czech and Hungarian defence policy directors was held in Budapest on 9 and 10 February 2026. MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy László Hajnik received Czech Defence Policy Director Martin Riegl. Military-to-military cooperation, current NATO and EU topics and the global security policy situation were at the centre of the meeting.
We must take joint action against terrorism
11:04 February 12, 2026
The Hungarian–Algerian joint military committee held its third session in Budapest on 4 February 2026. MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy László Hajnik received Major General Zerrouk Dahmani, Director of Social Service at the Algerian Ministry of National Defence.