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.
Military Cyber Commanders’ Forum in Budapest
10:04 November 16, 2021
As part of the event series connected with the Hungarian V4 presidency, a programme entitled “Military Cyber Commanders’ Forum” was organized between 10–12 November.
Hungarian–Turkish cooperation keeps strengthening
09:41 November 12, 2021
On Thursday, 11 November, as a member of the delegation headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő attended the 5th meeting of the Turkey-Hungary High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. On the margins of the event, he held a bilateral discussion with his counterpart, Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar. Speaking in Ankara, Defence Minister Benkő stated that Turkey is an important strategic partner of Hungary in terms of military cooperation, therefore the two countries will conclude a framework agreement to further strengthen and expand this partnership.
Brave Unity 2021 – exercise control and support
16:25 November 11, 2021
In terms of the number of total participants, as well as the functional areas involved, the last decade’s most noticeable Computer Assisted Command Post Exercise is held under the name Brave Unity 21 in these days. The assigned personnel of Headquarters Multinational Division – Centre (HQ MND-C), playing the role of superior military organization, was visited by Major General Denis Tretinjak, commander of HQ MND-C, in the Simulation, Exercise and Training Centre of the HDF Bakony Combat Training Centre on 10 November in Várpalota.
Centennial Relationship with Latvia
08:57 November 9, 2021
Hungary is an important and actively acting member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – the most effective defence and military force in the world –, and strengthens common security – emphasized Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő. The minister held discussions with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs in Budapest.
Defence Minister Tibor Benkő receives Latvia’s foreign minister on a courtesy call
15:34 November 8, 2021
On Monday, 8 November, on the occasion of the centenary of diplomatic cooperation between Hungary and Latvia, Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő received Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgard Rinkēvičs in Budapest. At their meeting, besides today’s security challenges, the ministers also discussed current issues of allied cooperation between the two countries.
Sharpening the sword of the alligator, at the threshold of the ”Alligator Sword 21” exercise
14:00 November 8, 2021
Before its departure, the outgoing personnel of the Headquarters Multinational Division – Centre took part in the last preparation in the first week of November at Alba Regia barracks in Székesfehérvár. The drill, known in NATO terminology as ”Battle Staff Training”, focused on the tasks of deployed personnel, which is going to be relocated to Germany within days.
Defence Minister Tibor Benkő holds discussion with his Austrian counterpart
09:34 November 5, 2021
On Thursday, 4 November Minister of Defence Tibor Benkő received Austrian Defence Minister in the framework of a border meeting in Sopronbánfalva. During the official meeting, the two sides discussed the European security situation and its future, the common challenges, the forms of bilateral military cooperation and, last but not least, the tasks connected with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tibor Benkő receives Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and Africa on a courtesy call
11:07 November 4, 2021
On Wednesday, 3 November Defence Minister Tibor Benkő received General Christopher G. Cavoli, Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa on a courtesy call. Besides the selection and training of soldiers, the commanding general discussed current security issues with the minister of defence. During his two-day visit, General Cavoli also had a discussion with Major General Zsolt Sándor, Deputy Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces and participated in a panel at the National University of Public Service.
Serbian and Hungarian Chiefs of Defence meet in Belgrade
10:53 November 4, 2021
Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi PhD, Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces recently attended a two-day meeting of chiefs of defence in Serbia. During the discussions, besides the current security situation of the region, the two sides also talked about the Hungarian COMKFOR’s tasks, as well as the coronavirus pandemic and the migration crisis.
Cooperation for the security of Europe
16:43 November 3, 2021
On 3 November, US Major General (Ret.) Barre R. Seguin, Director, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies paid a visit to Hungary. He met and held discussions with the leaders of the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces Command.