Col. Gen. Lajos Fodor (born 27 July 1947) is a retired Hungarian military officer and diplomat, who served as the Chief of the
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Hungary
The Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces ( hu, Magyar Honvédség parancsnoka, lit=Hungarian Army Commander; formerly Chief of General Staff ( hu, Honvéd Vezérkar főnöke)) is the highest-ranking military officer in the Hungarian Defenc ...
from 1 August 1999 to 28 February 2003.
Career
Fodor functioned as First Deputy Chief of General Staff from 1996 to 1999, in this capacity, he had a significant role in Hungary's accession to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
(NATO). He served as Deputy Secretary of State for Defence Policy between 15 February and 31 July 1999, under
Minister János Szabó. He suspended his military service for that short time. He was appointed Chief of the General Staff and promoted to Colonel General by President
Árpád Göncz
Árpád Göncz (; 10 February 1922 – 6 October 2015) was a Hungarian writer, translator, agronomist, and liberal politician who served as President of Hungary from 2 May 1990 to 4 August 2000. Göncz played a role in the Hungarian Revolution ...
on 1 August 1999. He also served as Commander of the Hungarian Army until 2001, when the General Staff was integrated to the Ministry of Defence and the military's command function abolished. His relationship with the new Minister
Ferenc Juhász has broken down in 2002.
acquitted him from his position on 28 February 2003. He was awarded Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the O ...
then.
After that he entered the diplomatic career, when he was appointed Hungarian Ambassador to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. He held that function until 2007. He became Secretary of State for Administration under Defence Minister
Csaba Hende in the
Second Cabinet of Viktor Orbán
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
. He was replaced by István Dankó on 31 January 2013.
Átvette kinevezését Dankó István
''kormany.hu''
Promotions
Fodor's promotions according to his CV:
*1970 – Lieutenant
*1974 – Captain
*1979 – Major
*1983 – Lieutenant Colonel
*1986 – Colonel
*1992 – Major General
*1997 – Lieutenant General
*1999 – Colonel General
Decorations
* Order of John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...
(2001)
* Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the O ...
(2003)
References
Sources
Official CV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fodor, Lajos
1947 births
Living people
People from Debrecen
Hungarian military personnel
Hungarian politicians
Ambassadors of Hungary to Australia
Commander's Crosses with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (military)