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.
Hungary is Committed to Strengthening European Defence Capabilities
12:02 June 19, 2024
The European Union must become a credible defence actor and Hungary is committed to supporting the creation of these defence capabilities, declared Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky following his discussion with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin.
The Sahel is Especially Important to Hungary
13:51 June 18, 2024
MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy László Hajnik received the Mauritanian-born Hamadi Meimou, High Representative of the Coalition for the Sahel in the Balaton Street building of the Ministry of Defence on 11 June.
“Kelly’s Heroes”
13:00 June 18, 2024
It is safe to say that the task system of the Hungarian KFOR Tactical Reserve Battalion (KTRBN) comprises the widest spectrum in KFOR’s area of operations. The troops of the battalion must be ready to tackle challenges posed by peacekeeping operations such as Crowd and Riot Control (CRC), as well as for the demonstration of “classical” military capabilities.
Special Operations Forces in Africa
18:53 June 17, 2024
Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers and police forces from nearly thirty countries – including observers of the Hungarian special operations forces – recently gathered in Ghana and Ivory Coast at the Flintlock multinational exercise organized by the U.S. Special Operations Command Africa.
Command post and tactical exercise in Türkiye
14:15 June 17, 2024
The EFES-24 is one of the major international military exercises conducted in Türkiye. This year, the exercise took place with the participation of 49 countries, involving some 11,000 military personnel. At the invitation of the Turkish side, the Hungarian special forces participated in the exercise for the first time.
Hungary is a committed, loyal and esteemed ally
14:10 June 17, 2024
At the Meetings of NATO Ministers of Defence in Brussels, it was reasserted that Hungary will be left out of the role undertaken by the organization in Ukraine – announced Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in a video uploaded to his Facebook page. He emphasized that “Hungary continues to be a committed, loyal and esteemed ally of NATO”.
15,000 Hours Flown!
11:46 June 14, 2024
The Airbus helicopter fleet bought as part of the National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program has flown 15,000 hours. Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region, Airbus Helicopters, awarded the joint achievement of the H145M and the already arrived H225M helicopters with a commemorative plaque at the ILA Berlin Air Show International Aerospace Exhibition.
Defence Attachés’ Meeting
11:39 June 14, 2024
Members of the Budapest Military Attaché Corps visited the HDF Cyber and Information Operations Centre in Szentendre and the HDF Territorial Defence Forces Command in Budapest on the first week of June. Altogether 20 resident and non-resident attachés accredited to Hungary from 14 nations participated in the programs. During the event, the organizers presented several pieces of tactical equipment and cultural heritage, including the G-Mercedes vehicles used at the PSYOPS exercises and the museum showing the history of NCO training.
The Hungarian Interest Prevailed
10:22 June 14, 2024
We recently reached an agreement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Hungary will not send troops, weapons or money to the war, announced Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his Facebook page on 12 June.
Two Hundred Successful Operations
15:38 June 13, 2024
In the 21st century, numerous new challenges have to be faced in the field of warfare, one of which is the efficient and secure use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).