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 interested in a strong NATO
09:25 June 7, 2023
The Bucharest Nine (B9) group is committed to further supporting Ukraine and above all, to restoring peace to the country as soon as possible – emphasized President of Hungary Katalin Novák after a summit of heads of state of the B9, a group bringing together Central and Eastern European member states – the eastern flank – of NATO in Bratislava on Tuesday, 6 June.
We are not alone, we are not the only ones who want peace
09:08 June 6, 2023
In this turbulent period of the 21st century, there is a need for Georgia’s deeply rooted and rich history and values. Because of our common values in the past and plans for the future, this country is our strategic partner, with which we are working together on further deepening our relations on both bilateral and allied levels, stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Tbilisi after holding discussions with the Minister of Defence of Georgia on 5 June.
Giant KC-135 Stratotanker at Pápa
13:44 June 5, 2023
The airmen of the 121st Air Refueling Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard and the crew of the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft stationed at the Hungarian Defence Forces 47th Air Base recently participated in a joint training event.
Bulgarian–Hungarian cooperation
10:03 June 2, 2023
At the invitation of Bulgarian Brigadier General Radostin Iliev, Director for Defence Policy and Planning, MoD Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy László Hajnik paid an official visit to Sofia between 24-26 May. During the discussion, both sides agreed with the significance of developing bilateral defence relations, emphasizing that it is necessary to find the new fields and means of cooperation for the expansion of the existing relations.
Innovation increases defence capability
09:51 June 2, 2023
Innovation has a key role in increasing defence capability and modernizing the Hungarian Defence Forces, said Brigadier General Imre Porkoláb, CEO, Defense Innovation Research Institute (VIKI) Nonprofit Ltd. at a capability demonstration organized by the VIKI in Budapest on 31 May.
Get well soon, Hungarian soldiers!
11:52 May 31, 2023
On 31 May, President of Hungary Katalin Novák personally thanked the Hungarian soldiers – who had been injured in Kosovo and are already recuperating in Hungary – for their standing their ground.
Heroic stand
11:39 May 31, 2023
“Once again, our soldiers have performed their duty heroically”, stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at Liszt Ferenc International Airport, Budapest on 30 May.
German armored troops at Tata
11:21 May 30, 2023
As part of the German–Hungarian land forces cooperation, Brigadier General Björn F. Schulz, Commander, Bundeswehr Panzertruppenschule (Armored Troops School) recently arrived in Hungary and paid a visit to the HDF 1st Armored Brigade in Tata on 24 May.
Hungarian troops are standing their ground in NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping mission
11:17 May 30, 2023
Hungarian soldiers were also taking part in dispersing a crowd in Kosovo. In the afternoon of Monday, 29 May, the nominated soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces serving with NATO’s peacekeeping force were deployed at the town hall in Zvecan, Kosovo.
Military medical team leaves for Kosovo
11:14 May 30, 2023
In the evening of 29 May, an Airbus A319 aircraft of the Hungarian Defence Forces specifically converted for air ambulance operations took off from Kecskemét air base to provide medical care for the Hungarian soldiers who had been injured in the crowd riot control task ordered at Zvecan, Kosovo, and to return them home if necessary. Major General Ferenc Kajári, Deputy Chief, HDF General Staff also accompanies the military doctors on board.