Major General Zoltán Somogyi
15:53 July 18, 2023Major 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.
Prestigious recognition in Sarajevo
12:10 January 28, 2026
On 21 January 2026, EUFOR Chief of Staff Brigadier General Tibor Szabó received two recognitions in Camp Butmir, Sarajevo.
Special Take-off at Night
11:19 January 27, 2026
The Hungarian National Organisation for Rescue Services (HUNOR) left for the town of Tinglev, Denmark, with KC-390 and Airbus 319 transport aircraft of the Hungarian Defence Forces to participate in an international exercise.
Discussion at the forefront of defence
11:16 January 27, 2026
“We have arrived in Tel Aviv to hold important negotiations that further strengthen Hungary’s security. Israel is very experienced in the field of defence and has world-class, cutting-edge military technology. These discussions help us make sure that Hungary’s defence is prepared for the challenges of the future as well” – wrote Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his social media page on 26 January.
Airmen of the Baltic Air Policing Mission at the Sándor Palace
16:32 January 26, 2026
At the invitation of Hungary’s President of the Republic Dr. Tamás Sulyok, the leadership of the HDF Baltic Air Policing Quick Reaction Alert Block 69 went on a visit to the Sándor Palace, including Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Péter Tősér, Head of Logistic Department Lieutenant Colonel Norbert Szentesi, Chief of Staff Major Tamás Wenhardt and Command Chief Master Sergeant Chief Warrant Officer Attila Bács (CCM).
Partnership is the most important
16:24 January 26, 2026
“We need fruitful multilateral and bilateral cooperation, because we continue to rely on our partners within the defence sphere in order to reach our national and joint defence- and security-related goals. In this, we count on your cooperation” – emphasized MoD Parliamentary State Secretary Tamás Vargha at the new year’s reception held in Bálna Defence Center, Budapest for the defence attachés accredited in Hungary, as well as the top- and medium-level leaders of the Ministry of Defence, the HDF Defence Staff and the Hungarian Defence Forces.
Current security challenges in focus – Top NATO military leaders meet in Brussels
13:31 January 26, 2026
At the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session held in Brussels in the middle of last week, the chiefs of defence of NATO member states, among them General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Chief of HDF Defence Staff, had comprehensive discussions about how to address current and future security challenges and the strategic tasks ahead of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Borsó Hill Covered in Snow and Grief
16:04 January 21, 2026
“Twenty years after one of the most tragic events of the Slovak nation, this year we gathered together again to commemorate those soldiers who, after their heroic performance, did not return home to hug their loved ones. We are commemorating 42 comrades who could not receive the deserved appreciation for their unselfish service, with which they contributed to keeping the peace in Kosovo. Soldiers, who are dead heroes of the Slovak Republic and the NATO military alliance, and are mourned by their homeland and, with deep condolences, our country as well”, said MoD State Secretary for Force Development and Defence Policy Dr. Zsolt Kutnyánszky in Hejce on 19 January.
The last cycle saw the most spectacular development of the Hungarian Defence Forces
12:40 January 21, 2026
In the last four-year cycle, the Hungarian Defence Forces have undergone the most spectacular development since the 1989 change of regime – stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Hódmezővásárhely on 20 January.
Hungarian KFOR Soldiers Pay Tribute to the Memory of the Battles of the River Don
12:49 January 20, 2026
In the first weeks of 2026, soldiers of the Hungarian KFOR contingent organized a special physical challenge in memory of the Battles of the River Don. The competition aimed not only to test endurance and team cohesion but also to honour historical remembrance.
They Earned the “Schützenschnur”
15:40 January 14, 2026
In early January, soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ KFOR contingent serving in Kosovo took part in a live-fire exercise organized by the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr).