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.
V4 military cooperation becomes closer
06:00 October 15, 2021
“The history of the V4 shows that the Visegrád Group represents a significant added value for Europe”, said Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszi-Szendi PhD, Commander, Hungarian Defence Forces at the signing of an agreement after the conference of Visegrád Four Chiefs of Defence on 13 October.
New Austrian defence attaché in Budapest
05:55 October 15, 2021
On Wednesday, 13 October Lieutenant General Zoltán Mihócza, Chief of Staff, Hungarian Defence Forces Command (HDFC) received in his office outgoing Austrian defence attaché Brigadier General Daniel Pregl and the incoming one, Brigadier General Manfred Hanzl.
National Military Strategy of Hungary
21:27 October 13, 2021
Italian defence policy director visits Budapest
12:02 October 8, 2021
On Thursday, 7 October Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy Dr. Gergely Németh received Major General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, Policy Director, Italian Defence General Staff in Budapest. After the meeting, the major general received the Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit from Defence State Secretary István Szabó.
Minister of Defence receives US–Hungary Business Council delegation
09:05 October 8, 2021
The top leaders of leading American companies recently visited Budapest already for the sixth time, in the organization of the US–Hungary Business Council. On Thursday, 14 October, on behalf of the defence portfolio, Defence Minister Dr. Tibor Benkő received 14 representatives of eight companies who arrived, among others, from the fields of defence industry, cyber defence, pharmaceutical industry, medical technology industry, oil and gas industry as well as tobacco industry.
Chief of JSES visits Táborfalva
14:12 October 7, 2021
On 6 October, Lieutenant General Martin Schelleis, Chief of the German Joint Support and Enabling Service paid a visit to the Táborfalva section of the HDF Military Movement Centre on account of the PESCO logistic project.
DECI member countries’ Chiefs of Defence meet in Rome
14:05 October 7, 2021
The participants of a chiefs of staff level conference of the Defence Cooperation Initiative (DECI) have signed a document concerning the result of the Strategic Review in Rome. At the two-day discussion, Hungary was represented by Lieutenant General Dr. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The chiefs of staff of member countries reaffirmed that this form of cooperation has the primary objective of enhancing regional stability and security in Central and South-Eastern Europe through the military cooperation of member states.
Regional cooperation is indispensable for preserving our security
09:38 October 7, 2021
Regional cooperation is indispensable for preserving our security – said Defence Minister Tibor Benkő, who participated in the 16th International Defence and Security Technologies Fair in Brno, the Czech Republic at the invitation of the Czech minister of defence on Wednesday, 6 October.
Multinational exercise held in Bosnia–Herzegovina
10:21 October 5, 2021
Exercise EUFOR Quick Response 2021 started in mid-September to test the quick reaction forces (QRF) and capabilities of the peacekeeping mission as well as the subunits of countries providing the Intermediate Reserve Forces (IRF). The exercise also involved the armed forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina (AFBiH) and representatives of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA).
Learning to deploy tents constructed to 21st century requirements
10:15 October 5, 2021
Mobile Field Deployable Accommodation Set – this is the name of a tent whose deployability, setting up and dismantling were the topics of a trade training event co-organized by the Infrastructure Branch Directorate of the Logistic Directorate of the Hungarian Defence Forces Command and the Training Branch Directorate of the HDF 37th Ferenc Rákóczi II Engineer Regiment.