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.
Day of the Hungarian Defence Forces in Kosovo
12:37 May 27, 2024
The KFOR-30 HUNCON celebrated the Day of the Hungarian Defence Forces in Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo on Friday, 24 May.
We Think Alike with Austria in Important Matters
11:47 May 24, 2024
Not only are our borders common with Austria but we also think alike in important matters – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in a video posted on his Facebook page on Thursday, 23 May on the occasion of recently meeting Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner in the town of Grafenegg in Lower Austria.
Joint challenges, joint responses
11:08 May 24, 2024
Effective and friendly cooperation is vital, due to the similar challenges and the common geopolitical situation – especially in the event of danger. In this spirit, among others, a Slovenian-Hungarian border meeting of chiefs of defence was held at the Rheinmetall factory in Zalaegerszeg on 23 May.
Guns in action
16:58 May 23, 2024
Within the framework of the multinational Exercise Brave Warrior 2024, soldiers conducted live firing training in the Bakony Hills with Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles and PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.
In the Same Direction – Meeting of EU and NATO Chiefs of Defence
16:46 May 23, 2024
Military leaders of the EU and NATO recently met in Brussels. The preparation for Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of the year was the main focus of the military discussions held with the participation of the chiefs of defence of Belgium, Hungary and Spain. Meanwhile, the chiefs of defence of NATO countries discussed the implementation of the new defence plans of the Alliance and the reshaping of NATO’s warfare.
Coordinated Tactical Combat Casualty Care
11:36 May 22, 2024
In the CREVAL (Combat Readiness Evaluation) conducted during Exercise Brave Warrior 2024, the treatment of battle wounds and MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation) are distinguished tasks, which were successfully carried out – according to the acquired procedure – by the soldiers of the NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group (FLF BG).
Excellent in Military Tactics
11:29 May 22, 2024
The personnel of the NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group (FLF BG) recently proved their skills at the complex tactical exercises of the NATO CREVAL (Combat Readiness Evaluation) conducted during the ongoing Exercise Brave Warrior 2024 in Hungary.
Cooperation on Land, on Water, in Air
10:48 May 21, 2024
At the invitation of the French Armed Forces, Commander of EUFOR Operation Althea Major General László Sticz PhD and Deputy Chief of Defence of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina Major General Mirsad Ahmić recently visited the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, flagship of the French Navy, accompanied by François Delmas, Ambassador of France to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The First 24 Hours in Pictures
10:11 May 21, 2024
The most difficult 72 hours of Exercise Brave Warrior 2024 being conducted in Hungary is the NATO Combat Readiness Evaluation of Land Headquarters and Units (CREVAL). Below are the first 24 hours of the soldiers of the NATO Forward Land Forces Battle Group (NATO FLF BG HUN) in pictures.
Locked Shields 2024: outstanding hungarian result
09:24 May 21, 2024
Hungary was represented again this year on the annual Locked Shield (LS) exercise, organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) since 2010. This time, the four-day exercise involved 18 teams from 40 countries, altogether nearly 4,000 experts. The Hungarian team took the prestigious fourth place.