List of senior officers of the Finnish Defence Forces
Encyclopedia
This is a list of senior officers of the Finnish Defence Forces since Finland
's independence.
Chiefs of Defence
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's independence.
Chiefs of DefenceChief of Defence (Finland)The Chief of Defence is the Chief of Defence and commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, under the authority of the Commander in Chief, President of Finland. He commands the Finnish Army, the Finnish Air Force, the Finnish Navy and is assisted by the Defence Command...
- General Carl Gustaf Emil MannerheimCarl Gustaf Emil MannerheimBaron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
1918 - Major-General Karl Fredrik Wilkman 1918
- Major-General Vilhelm Aleksander ThesleffVilhelm Aleksander ThesleffVilhelm Aleksander Thesleff was a Finnish general, first Minister of defence of Finland and briefly the commander in chief of the Finnish army....
1918 - Colonel Karl Rudolf WaldenRudolf WaldenKarl Rudolf Walden was a Finnish industrialist and general.He received his military education in Hamina Cadet School 1892–1900....
1918 - Major-General Karl Fredrik Wilkman 1919
- Major-General Kaarlo Edward KivekäsKaarlo Edward KivekäsKaarlo Edward Kivekäs was a Finnish general. He was the Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces in 1919. Kivekäs is recipient of the Latvian military Order of Lāčplēsis, 2nd class.-External links:*...
1919 - Major-General Karl Fredrik WilkamaKarl Fredrik WilkamaKarl Fredrik Wilkama, born Wilkman, was a Finnish General of the Infantry. He was the supreme commander of the Finnish Defence Forces.Wilkama became an officer in the Imperial Russian Army in 1899...
1919-1924 - Lieutenant General Vilho Petter NenonenVilho Petter NenonenVilho Petter Nenonen was a Finnish general.Received his military education in the Hamina Cadet School 1896-1901, in the Mihailov Artillery School in St Petersburg 1901-1903, and in St Petersburg Artillery Academy 1906-1909. He served in the Russian army during World War I...
1924-1925 - Colonel Lauri MalmbergLauri MalmbergKaarlo Lauri Torvald Malmberg was a Finnish general and son of Emil and Aino Malmberg. He was the Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces in 1925....
1925 - Lieutenant General Karl Fredrik WilkamaKarl Fredrik WilkamaKarl Fredrik Wilkama, born Wilkman, was a Finnish General of the Infantry. He was the supreme commander of the Finnish Defence Forces.Wilkama became an officer in the Imperial Russian Army in 1899...
1925-1926 - Lieutenant General Aarne Sihvo 22.5.1926 - 13.1.1933
- Lieutenant General Hugo Viktor ÖstermanHugo Viktor ÖstermanHugo Viktor Österman was a Finnish Lieutenant-General during World War II. He was commander of the Finnish Army 1933-1939....
1933-1939 - Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil MannerheimCarl Gustaf Emil MannerheimBaron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
1939-1944 - General Axel Erik Heinrichs 1944-1945
- Lieutenant General Jarl Frithiof Lundqvist 1945-1946
- General Aarne Sihvo 1946-1953
- General Kaarlo Aleksander Heiskanen 1953-1959
- General Jaakko Sakari Simelius 1959-1965
- General Yrjö Ilmari Keinonen 1965-1969
- General Kaarlo Olavi Leinonen 1969-1974
- General Lauri SutelaLauri SutelaGeneral Lauri Johannes Sutela was a Finnish military officer. He served as an officer in the engineer corps during World War II....
1974-1983 - General Jaakko ValtanenJaakko ValtanenJaakko Valtanen is a Finnish general. He is the former Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces from 1983 to 1990.-External links:*...
1983-1990 - Admiral Jan KlenbergJan KlenbergJan Gottfrid Klenberg is a Finnish admiral. He is the former Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces. Klenberg was the first navy officer in that position.-External links:*...
1990-1994 - General Gustav HägglundGustav HägglundJohan Edvin Birger Gustav Hägglund is a retired Finnish general. He was the Chief of Defence 1994—2001, and Chairman of the European Union Military Committee 2001–2004....
1994-2001 - Admiral Juhani KaskealaJuhani KaskealaAdmiral Pauli Juhani Kaskeala is a senior Finnish admiral and was Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces from 2001 to August 1, 2009....
2001-2009 - General Ari PuheloinenAri PuheloinenAri Tapani Puheloinen is a Finnish General and Chief of Defence of the Finnish Defence Forces....
1 October 2009- incumbent