Major General Zoltán Somogyi
15:53 July 18, 2023Brigadier 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.
Hungary becomes participating country of NATO StratCom
15:49 April 8, 2022
On 31 March, the Hungarian flag was solemnly raised at the building of NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga, Latvia.
Forward-looking command
13:46 April 5, 2022
In the last week of March, the forward command post of the Headquarters Multinational Division Centre (HQ MND-C) moved into field conditions. With the tasks, performed during New Bastion 22-1 battle staff training, the headquarters is already treading the path leading to achieving full operational capability.
Deputy Commander of Hungarian Defence Forces visits United States of America
12:25 April 5, 2022
On 1 April, a change of command ceremony was held in the United States of America in honor of retiring General Kenneth F. McKenzie. Major General Zsolt Sándor, Deputy Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces took this occasion to travel to Washington for a dayslong visit, during which he had discussions with Hungary’s ambassador to Washington Szabolcs Takács, Brigadier General Dr. László Szegő, Rear Admiral Tim Henry and General Philippe Lavigne as well.
Continuing work in a NATO position
11:59 April 1, 2022
Dr. Gergely Németh, Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy of the Ministry of Defence continues his work in the field of defence policy, but already in a NATO position.
French memorial room inaugurated
12:05 March 31, 2022
On 29 March, a memorial room dedicated to French prisoners of war who had escaped to Hungary during the Second World War was inaugurated in the Fischl House, Balatonboglár. The event was also attended by Colonel Dr. József András Balogh, Head of Cabinet, Ministry of Defence.
Twenty years of MNCG
11:54 March 31, 2022
The 37th edition of the international meeting called Coordinating Committee (CC), made up by the six Participating Nations (PNs) representatives of the Multinational CIMIC Group (MNCG) was recently held in Italy. The Hungarian Defence Forces were represented by Brigadier General János Somogyi, Head of Operations Directorate, Hungarian Defence Forces Command; Colonel Péter Balogh, Commander, HDF Cyber and Information Operations Centre (HDF CIOC), as well as by Lieutenant Colonel István Guba, Head of Department (cyber defence), Service Inspectorate, Hungarian Defence Forces Command.
V4 Territorial Commanders’ Conference
11:41 March 31, 2022
On 30 March, the Hungarian Defence Forces Territorial Defence and Support Command (HDF TDSC) organized the Territorial Commanders’ Conference of the Visegrád Four (V4) countries in an online format.
Field study in multinational domain
09:24 March 31, 2022
Students of the Hungarian General Staff Training Course paid a visit to Headquarters Multinational Division Centre on 30 March in Székesfehérvár.
Hungarian airman completes ATC Apprentice Course in the United States
12:53 March 29, 2022
Lieutenant Gyula Sonnewend, an airman of the HDF 59th Dezső Szentgyörgyi Air Base recently attended a 10-week language course and a 14-week ATC (Air Traffic Control) Apprentice Course in the United States.
Defence policy directors meet in London
12:48 March 29, 2022
On 24–25 March, at the invitation of David Hogan-Hern, Director of the Euro-Atlantic Security Directorate at the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy Dr. Gergely Németh arrived in London for a two-day visit.