General Staff Training Institute

Dear Visitor,

Welcome to the General Staff Training Institute website!

Colonel Ferenc Kovács
Head of Institute
General Staff Training Institute

Contact details

Office: H-1083 Budapest, Ludovika tér 2.

Phone: (+36)-1-432-9000/29-556

Colonel Ferenc Kovács started his military career in 1983 when he was admitted to Máté Zalka Military Technological College as a Ground Based Air Defence cadet. After graduation, he served in various positions from SBAD platoon commander to SAM Wing commander during his career in the Hungarian Air Force. He attended several higher education military schools, including a one-year tactical level GBAD Staff Officer Course, a three-year Senior Air Force Staff Officer Course (university/operational level), and a one-year General Staff Course focused on strategic level education. Between 2016 and 2020 he served as the Director for the Cooperative Security Department, a NATO Course Director/Certified Instructor, and the Senior National Representative of the Hungarian Defence Forces at the NATO School Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany.

Colonel Kovács is a NATO Certified Instructor, a qualification he earned at the NATO School Oberammergau. He published scientific articles (e.g. Ami nem béke, az háború) and a book (Föld és ég között) as a co-writer.

He has a STANAG 3.3.3.3. advanced language degree in English and a basic level language exam in Russian. In his almost 40 years of military experience, he mostly served at the different levels of commander (leadership) position and has a 6-month experience in military mission as Chief of Staff at the NATO HQ, Sarajevo, BiH.

Colonel Kovács has received several military awards for his service, including the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit.

About the Institute

The General Staff Training Institute is the highest educational unit of the national military education system working under the direct authority of the Dean of the Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training.

The purpose of the Institute, is to provide students with the knowledge necessary for senior military leadership positions within the framework of the Senior Military Leader Postgraduate University Level Programme, a 10-month training programme.

The Programme is an exclusive course, for which the Minister of Defence selects the student body.

The focus of the Programme is to train the selected military leaders (national and foreign) to become responsible strategic leaders who are open to the changes in the world, able to apply their extensive experience, and are able to operate in both national and international strategic environments in leadership positions. To this end, the training focuses on acquiring and mastering the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to perform strategic leadership functions.

Accordingly, the Programme aims to:

Facilitate students’ strategic thinking;
Develop students’ abilities necessary for the positions and responsibilities of the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces;
Enhance students’ critical thinking about strategic military concepts in a dynamic international environment;
Broaden students’ understanding of military and political conflicts and strategically examine the context of current and future threats to Hungary and its NATO/EU allies;
Develop and enhance students’ professional skills necessary for the planning and execution of national and NATO/EU joint planning processes (COPD) and joint operations in support of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

Upon graduation, our students are prepared for strategic-level management positions in the Ministry of Defence, the Hungarian Defence Forces, NATO/EU organisations, or other top-level governmental organizations.

The Senior Military Leader Postgraduate University Level Programme is a graduate school level training, granting a certificate of Higher Military Leadership.

Thank you for your interest!

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