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.
Hungarian Soldiers Participating in Saturday’s Rescue Receive Commander’s Recognition
11:08 April 9, 2024
Major General Dr. László Sticz, Commander of EUFOR Operation Althea, recently presented commander’s recognition coins in Camp Butmir, near Sarajevo to soldiers and civilian air traffic controllers participating in the early Saturday life-saving rescue operation. In the rescue operation, 14 Hungarian, two Dutch and two Italian soldiers carried out tasks directly, as well as an Austrian civilian. The two Italian soldiers will receive the commander’s recognition later.
Rheinmetall: Production, Development and Testing
14:33 April 8, 2024
The personnel of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade got a unique insight into the domestic production process of the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle while visiting the Rheinmetall plant in Zalaegerszeg on 3 April.
About Hungarians, for Hungarians – in Sarajevo
12:06 April 8, 2024
On 3 April, in Camp Butmir, Hungarian soldiers had the opportunity to see a film about the Hungarian ethnic minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of its prominent members.
Hungarian soldiers in EUFOR saved lives
13:21 April 6, 2024
Early on Saturday, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested the help of the EUFOR international peacekeeping mission in finding two missing tourists.
Várpalota ammo plant continues to grow
16:10 April 5, 2024
“Europe’s most modern artillery ammunition production plant is being built in the eastern part of Várpalota” – underlined Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, CEO, N7 Holding National Defence Industry Innovation Plc. at the groundbreaking ceremony of the factory building of the Várpalota Defence Industrial Complex manufacturing 155mm artillery shells on Wednesday, 3 April.
Strengthening cooperation
11:50 April 3, 2024
Troops from Croatia, Hungary, Italy and the United States recently exercised together in the area of Veszprém-Újmajor (Camp Croft).
Easter in Sarajevo
11:42 April 3, 2024
Lieutenant Colonel Roland Kálinger, field chaplain of the 28th rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent (EUFOR-28 HUNCON) celebrated a Mass in the chapel of Camp Butmir, Sarajevo on the feast of the Resurrection.
Full operational capability achieved
09:56 April 2, 2024
Although the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is stable, as a second responder, the European Union Force (EUFOR) – which is conducting the largest military operation of the European Union – must be ready to deploy if the local authorities were unable to maintain a safe and secure environment (SASE).
Medal Parade in Iraq
11:56 March 27, 2024
Hungarian soldiers serving at the Forward Operation Base UNION III Baghdad, the headquarters of NATO’s international coalition forces recently received the NATO Mission Iraq Non-Article 5 medal of merit awarded by the Secretary General of NATO at a medal parade held to mark the end of their six months of service. Lieutenant General Jose Antonio Agüero Martínez, Commander of NATO Mission Iraq, praised the self-sacrificing service of the awarded personnel in his speech and gave thanks for their high-quality performance in all common tasks.
Rheinmetall’s new factory to bring cutting-edge technology to Szeged
15:42 March 26, 2024
We are working to win the future for the Hungarians – stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Szeged on 26 March.