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 colonel receives Knight’s Cross
11:41 December 4, 2023
On 28 November, France’s ambassador to Hungary Claire Legras decorated Colonel Dr. József András Balogh, Legal and Administrative Chief of the HDF General Staff with the Knight’s Cross of the National Order of Merit (Ordre national du Mérite) of France.
Peace, Friendship and Cooperation
11:01 December 4, 2023
This November, the personnel of the Hungarian contingent serving with the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NATO ISR Force) participated in the commemoration organized in the framework of the Italian-Hungarian friendship.
Sport Has Grown into a Strategic Field
11:26 November 30, 2023
In the recent past, sport has grown into a strategic field in Hungary, we have got closer to becoming a sports nation – said Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in the Committee on Culture of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Estonian–Hungarian joint live fire exercise in Iraq
10:39 November 30, 2023
On 24 November, the 17th rotation of the Hungarian Training Support Contingent (HTSC) – Iraq participated in a joint live fire exercise together with its Estonian partners on the Satur Areal Gunnery” shooting range near Erbil. During the joint LFX, the Hungarian and Estonian soldiers also had the opportunity to learn about and mutually test the firearms in service with the armed forces of the two nations.
The Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to defend the Hungarian people
10:35 November 30, 2023
On Tuesday, 28 November, Members of Parliament of the governing party discussed the Sovereignty Protection Act and the Hungarian Defence Forces in their pre-agenda addresses at the session of the National Assembly. “The Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to defend Hungary and the Hungarian people”, stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his social media page in connection with his answer to the pre-agenda addresses.
Focusing on peace support operations cooperation
16:59 November 28, 2023
The HDF Peace Support Training Centre has recently conducted the Peace Support Operations Cooperation Course (PSOCC) on the seventh occasion. On 24 November, at the closing ceremony of the two-week training, 24 course participants from 14 nations received their certificates.
Hungarian Defence Export Agency Ltd debuts in Southeast Asia as well
16:52 November 28, 2023
The Hungarian Defence Export Agency Ltd’s (VEX) first appearance in Southeast Asia took place at the Defence & Security 2023 exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand in early November. The invited exhibitors at the Agency’s stand included ten Hungarian companies and the Defence Innovation and Research Institute (VIKI) of Hungary. The 190-m2 national stand introduced the products and solutions of Hungarian defence industry that may attract interest in Southeast Asia.
Defence Attachés’ Visits at the HDF General Staff
16:45 November 28, 2023
Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári, Deputy Chief of HDF General Staff received the new Italian defence attaché and the Greek defence, military and air attaché in the framework of an accreditation visit.
Preparing Hungarian Commander of EUFOR visits France
10:10 November 24, 2023
On November 20, Major General László Sticz PhD, the next commander of Operation Althea of the European Union Force (EUFOR) paid a visit to Paris, heading a delegation. The aim of the visit was to learn about the details of the French engagement in Bosnia-Herzegovina and about the French–Bosnian relations.
Multinational Exercise Adaptive Hussars 23 ends with success
10:01 November 24, 2023
The international Exercise Adaptive Hussars 23 – the largest-scale and most complex one in the last 30 years involving close to 6000 personnel and 47 military organizations – has ended in Hungary. The Hungarian Defence Forces and the civil defence administration have passed the test with flying colors in the framework of this exercise, emphasized Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.