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.
We Maintain a Traditionally Good Defence and Military Cooperation with Slovenia
11:40 March 12, 2024
We must look for cooperation possibilities and strengthen our defence relations to maintain the security of our region – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Ljubljana following the discussions with his Slovenian counterpart.
President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok Inaugurated
15:39 March 11, 2024
The inauguration ceremony of Tamás Sulyok as President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Hungarian Defence Forces took place on Sunday, 10 March. At the beginning of the ceremony, the Guard and Ceremonial Regiment and the Count Ferenc Nádasdy Hussar Battalion paid tribute at Szent György Square. Then, the historical flags were brought to the square and the historical churches’ representatives gave their blessings, and the ceremony was closed by the speech of the head of state.
Ongoing Austro-Hungarian cooperation with joint training events
15:44 March 8, 2024
“Austria and Hungary are distinguished partners, with constant cooperation and exchange of experience since the change of regime” – underlined General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Chief of HDF General Staff, at the meeting of the Austrian and the Hungarian Chiefs of Defence in Tata on 7 March.
Joint Efforts, Stable Cooperation
12:06 March 8, 2024
Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári, Deputy Chief of HDF General Staff recently received, on a courtesy call, Ambassador Constantin-Mihail Grigorie, director of the Zagreb-based RACVIAC.
Soldier Turned Popstar
14:30 March 7, 2024
Only some might know that James Blunt, the writer of the hit You’re Beautiful served as a soldier in the British Armed Forces for four years before starting his career as a musician. He carried out peacekeeping tasks in Kosovo and as a member of the Queen’s Household Cavalry, he was a guard of Queen Elizabeth II. He returned to Budapest on 5 March to present his new single in the MVM Dome. At the concert, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also met the musician.
Defence innovation helps security
17:14 March 6, 2024
Brigadier General Dr. Imre Porkoláb hopes that more and better-capitalized Hungarian companies will apply for this year’s grants of the European Defence Fund (EDF) than before. Speaking at a professional workshop organized for the representatives of large enterprises in Budapest, the MoD ministerial commissioner for defence innovation said that he hoped that Hungarian companies would undertake to become lead members of applicant consortia.
NATO Medals for High-level Service
11:35 March 5, 2024
On nearing the completion of their tour of duty with the mission, the soldiers performing their first service abroad in the 29th rotation of the HDF KFOR Contingent (KFOR-29 HUNCON) recently received their NATO medals at a ceremony.
New Possibility for Hungarian Companies Developing Defence Technology
16:26 March 4, 2024
The Defense Innovation Research Institute (DIRI) in cooperation with the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), provides new possibilities for Hungarian companies developing defence technology – said Brigadier General Dr. Imre Porkoláb, MoD Ministerial Commissioner for Defence Innovation.
Directory Handover-takeover at Tisza Battalion
16:16 March 4, 2024
Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári, Deputy Chief of HDF General Staff handed over the leading national role of the Multinational Engineer Battalion Tisa to Lieutenant General Dragoş-Dumitru Iacob, Deputy Chief of the Romanian Armed Forces General Staff.
Retroactive Salary Increase of Soldiers Due in March
16:15 March 4, 2024
Soldiers will receive their salary increased by 11 percent on average in March; the increase affects the salaries since January – announced Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.